Learn Docker With My Newest Course

Dive into Docker takes you from "What is Docker?" to confidently applying Docker to your own projects. It's packed with best practices and examples. Start Learning Docker →

Updated on May 5, 2026 in #linux

Walking Through a Minimal Arch Linux Set Up with archinstall

walking-through-a-minimal-arch-linux-set-up-with-archinstall.jpg

We'll spend some time going through most of the options, in the end you'll have confidence to set up a system to your liking.

Quick Jump:

Arch Linux sometimes gets flack for being difficult to install. It’s true, there’s a number of moving parts to set up a distribution based on minimalism but the official archinstall script introduces that complexity in a very digestible format.

I love their take on it because it doesn’t hide the complexity, or try to convert the whole process into clicking yes once and your system is set up. You still need to make decisions but now you don’t need to memorize a few dozen commands to do it, but if you want to learn about those commands you can absolutely look them up.

We’re going to walk through most of the options of the archinstall script so you can be equipped to make informed decisions based on the type of system you want to set up.

By the end you’ll be set up to install and configure whatever desktop environment you want. For example, you could be up and running with my niri based dotfiles set up (DotFriedRice). in a few minutes by running 1 command after Arch is installed.

If you prefer a written version of these steps, I have them documented in my dotfiles. The general steps are the same whether you use my dotfiles or not.

If you haven’t made a bootable USB drive for the Arch installer yet, you can check out this guide I put together. It has steps for Windows, Linux or macOS.

To follow along with the video below it’s expected you’ve booted up with the Arch install ISO. This could be to install Arch on a real system or trying it out in a Virtual Machine.

# Demo Video

Timestamps

  • 0:50 – Booting from the USB drive
  • 1:02 – Configure Wi-Fi if needed
  • 2:06 – Kicking off the archinstall script
  • 2:28 – Language
  • 2:49 – Locales
  • 3:22 – Mirrors and repos
  • 4:03 – Disk configuration
  • 6:39 – btrfs or ext4?
  • 8:58 – Partitioning (best effort)
  • 9:34 – Disk encryption
  • 11:20 – Swap
  • 11:34 – Bootloader
  • 12:34 – Linux kernel
  • 12:53 – Hostname
  • 13:11 – Authentication
  • 13:59 – Profile (Desktop Environment)
  • 15:28 – Applications (Bluetooth, audio, etc.)
  • 17:05 – Network configuration
  • 17:26 – Pacman
  • 17:40 – Additional packages
  • 18:15 – Timezone
  • 18:35 – Automatic time sync
  • 18:49 – Confirm and install
  • 22:02 – Rebooting and logging in
  • 22:57 – The system is yours

Did you install Arch Linux? Let me know below.

Never Miss a Tip, Trick or Tutorial

Like you, I'm super protective of my inbox, so don't worry about getting spammed. You can expect a few emails per year (at most), and you can 1-click unsubscribe at any time. See what else you'll get too.

Comments