Fedora Atomic Desktops User Guide

In general, Fedora Atomic Destkops are image based variants of their (package mode) Fedora versions:

They look, feel and behave like a regular desktop operating system, and the experience is similar to what you find with using a standard (package mode) Fedora system.

However, unlike other operating systems, Fedora Atomic Desktops are image based (sometimes also called immutable). This means that every installation is identical to every other installation of the same version. The operating system that is on disk is exactly the same from one machine to the next, and it never changes as it is used.

Fedora Atomic Desktops' image based design is intended to make it more stable, less prone to bugs, and easier to test and develop. Finally, Fedora Atomic Desktops' design also makes it an excellent platform for containerized applications as well as container-based software development. In each case, applications (apps) and containers are kept separate from the host system, improving stability and reliability.

Fedora Atomic Desktops' core technologies have some other helpful features. Operating system updates are fast and there’s no waiting around for them to install: just reboot as normal to start using the next version. With Fedora Atomic Desktops, it is also possible to roll back to the previous version of the operating system if something goes wrong.

In most cases, Fedora Atomic Desktops behave like a standard (package mode) Fedora installation, and the general Fedora documentation can be used. This guide covers the areas where Fedora Atomic Desktops differ from a standard (package mode) Fedora system, including:

The primary audience for these docs are new users, who aren’t expected to have specialist knowledge or technical knowledge about Fedora Atomic Desktops' internals. However, some background technical information is provided, for those who are interested and want to learn more.