THE FLAGSHIP EDITION / ARM64
The heart of Rooster Linux. A practical, 64-bit Debian-based system for Raspberry Pi 4 and Raspberry Pi 5.
Want a desktop? Install the Debian desktop environment of your choice after installing Rooster Linux.
Desktop choices & installation commands →
01 / DOWNLOAD
A small computer can do a lot. Start with Rooster’s server base and build the system you want.
64-bit server image for Raspberry Pi 4 and 5. EN-US edition, build 2026-07-30 08:40. Add the desktop environment of your choice after installation.
Published by RCCPI LLC. Verify your download before writing it to a drive.
Published by RCCPI LLC · Verify this edition’s download →
02 / GET STARTED
Download the compressed disk image and its SHA-256 checksum when the release files are listed on this page. Verify the file before flashing.
Use Raspberry Pi Imager’s “Use custom” option to write the .img.gz file to your SD card or USB drive. Writing an image erases the selected device.
Insert the prepared media into your Pi 4 or 5 and power it on. Start with the server base, then add the desktop or services you need.
Open a terminal in the folder containing your download and run the command below, replacing the filename with your downloaded file. Compare the result with the published SHA-256 checksum.
sha256sum rooster-linux.img.gzThe full checksum must match exactly. If a SHA256SUMS file is provided, use sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS instead.
RASPBERRY PI / REQUIRED FIRST-BOOT SETUP
The default login details and hostname are shared across copies of this image. They are starting values, not personal credentials. Complete these steps after your first login, before enabling remote access for others or exposing services to the internet.
Commands below use my-rooster-pi and myuser as examples. Choose a different hostname for each Pi and your own lowercase username.
While signed in to the image’s default account, set a new password known only to you. Enter the current password, then the new password twice.
passwdDo this immediately, even if you plan to replace the default account in the next steps.
Give this Pi its own name on your network:
sudo hostnamectl set-hostname my-rooster-piThen open /etc/hosts with your preferred editor. If a 127.0.1.1 entry contains the old hostname, replace that name with your new one. Leave the localhost entries intact.
127.0.1.1 my-rooster-piChanging the hostname does not change the username or password. Your shell prompt may show the old name until you sign in again.
Create a personal account and give it administrator access. The first command prompts you to set its own password.
sudo adduser myuser
sudo usermod -aG sudo myuserThis creates a new account; it does not rename or remove the shared account. If you need hardware-specific access, review the old account’s supplementary groups and grant only the access you need.
Open a separate console or terminal session, sign in as your new user, and check administrator access:
sudo -vAfter the new account works, move any files you need and update services or scheduled jobs that use the default account. Sign out of its sessions before retiring it from your new administrator account.
Do not remove the default account until you have verified that your personal login and sudo both work. A password change alone does not replace the shared username.
From the new, tested administrator account, after signing out of the old account and moving any services away from it, remove the old login with:
sudo deluser DEFAULT_USERNAMEReplace DEFAULT_USERNAME with the actual shared username included in your image. This removes the login while leaving its home directory by default. Preserve any needed files first; retained files remain owned by the old numeric user ID. Do not remove your new account or a system service account.
Debian references: hostnamectl ↗ · user accounts ↗ · deluser ↗. If sudo is unavailable, use an authorized root session and omit sudo.
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