Documentation Overview
Garden Linux documentation uses the Diátaxis framework to organize content by what you need, not by your role. This page explains the structure and helps you find the right section.
Where to Start
| Your Situation | Where to Go |
|---|---|
| New to Garden Linux | Start with Tutorials |
| Deploy on a specific platform | Go to Platform-Specific Guides |
| Customize Garden Linux | Check Customization Guides |
| Understand concepts | Read Explanation |
| Look up specifications | Search Reference |
| Contribute to the project | See Contributing |
Tutorials
Learning-oriented guides that walk you through complete workflows. Tutorials assume no prior experience, provide complete commands, and take 15--30 minutes to complete.
Start here: Tutorials
Tutorials cover local environments (Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM), Lima), cloud platforms (Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), OpenStack), containers (Open Container Initiative (OCI) Image Format), and bare-metal deployments.
How-to Guides
Task-oriented directions for solving specific problems. These guides assume some familiarity with Garden Linux and focus on practical solutions.
Start here: How-to Guides
Topics include getting images, choosing flavors, initial configuration, building images, testing images, platform-specific deployment, security hardening, and customization.
Explanation
Understanding-oriented articles that clarify concepts, provide background, and explain how Garden Linux works.
Start here: Explanation
Topics include use cases, flavors and features, image types, architecture, security posture, release cadence, and design decisions.
Reference
Information-oriented technical descriptions, specifications, and lookup tables for precise technical details.
Start here: Reference
Includes the flavor matrix, glossary, platform compatibility, image formats, kernels and modules, release information, Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) in the ADR catalog, and supporting tools documentation (builder, Python Garden Linux library).
Contributing
Guidelines for contributing to Garden Linux, whether you are fixing a bug, adding a feature, or improving documentation.
Start here: Contributing
Covers the documentation guide, development workflow, security practices, and testing (developing tests, running tests, test coverage).
Getting Help
If you cannot find what you need:
- Use the search feature in the top navigation
- Check the Troubleshooting guide
- Visit the Garden Linux GitHub repository
- Open an issue or discussion on GitHub