My Arch Docs

My Arch Linux Base System Setup

These are packages and configurations I use to set up a base Arch Linux system.

Why Arch Linux?

Arch Linux ships naked out of the box with only few most essential packages. This allows me to set up my system exactly the way I want it, with full control over tiny details. it has a great community and support with rolling releases. This basically runs on anything that can be called a computer.

My Setup

system

• base (base package group)
• linux (linux kernel)
• linux-firmware (firmware for devices)
• REFind (boot manager like grub, systemd-boot, etc.)
• wpa_supplicant (for internet)

Essential

• emacs or nvim or gvim or vim or vi (text editor)
• git (version control)
• btop htop or top (system monitor)
• curl or wget (download files from internet)
• unzip or tar (extract files)
• man (manual pages)
• tldr (short discriptions of commands)
• sudo (execute commands as root)
• system python (never touch this)
• uv or pyenv (manage python versions)
• zsh or fish (shell)
• rclone (manage cloud storage)
• openssh (ssh client and server)
• tmux (terminal multiplexer)
• alacritty or kitty (terminal emulator)
• yay or paru (AUR helper) (AUR packages can be installed manually be be aware any one can upload anything to AUR)
• reflector (update mirrorlist) (also can be done manually)

other essential

• pipewire (audio and video management)
• blueman (bluetooth management)
• networkmanager or dhcpcd or netctl or iwd (network management) (for simple management)
• firewalld or ufw (firewall management)

Environment

• xorg-server (Xorg display server)
• i3 (tiling window manager)
• alacritty or kitty (terminal emulator)
• nitrogen (set wallpaper)
• redshift (adjust screen color temperature)
• rofi (application launcher)
• polybar (status bar)
• picom (compositor)
• betterlockscreen (lock screen)
• xautolock (auto lock screen)
• xclip (clipboard management)

cli tools and Utilities

• gdu or ncdu (disk usage analyzer)
• tree (display directory tree)
• yazi or ranger (file manager)
• atuin (shell history manager)
• fzf (fuzzy finder)
• zoxide (smart cd command)
• bat (cat with syntax highlighting)
• exa (ls with more features)
• fd (find with more features)
• ripgrep (grep with more features)
• eza (ls with more features)
• jq (process json)
• duf (disk usage)
• stow (manage dotfiles)
• hyperfine (any command benchmarking)
• csvlens (view and process csv files)
• togo (todo list manager)
• neofetch or fastfetch (system information)
• asciinema (terminal session recorder)
• gawk (text processing language)

system tools and monitoring

• timeshift or snapper (system backup and restore)
• lact (gpu monitoring)
• powertop (power consumption monitoring)
• journalctl (view system logs)
• dmesg (view kernel logs)
• lsblk (list block devices)
• fdisk (partition management)
• gparted or parted (graphical partition management)
• zram-generator (compress ram to use as swap)

development

• docker (containerization)
• nodejs (javascript runtime)
• npm or yarn (javascript package manager)
• go (go programming language)
• rust (rust programming language)
• gcc (c/c++ compiler)
• clang (c/c++ compiler)
• make (build automation)
• cmake (build automation)
• gdb (debugger)
• valgrind (memory debugging)
• strace (trace system calls)
• ltrace (trace library calls)
• postman (api testing)
• insomnia (api testing)

internet

• firefox or qutebrowser or librewolf (web browser)
• thunderbird (email client)
• transmission-gtk or qbittorrent (torrent client)
• telegram-desktop (messaging app)

networking

• wireshark (network protocol analyzer)
• nmap (network scanner)
• speedtest-cli (internet speed test)

office

• libreoffice-fresh (office suite)
• zatura (pdf viewer)

multimedia

• mpv (media player)
• qimgv (image viewer)
• gimp (image editor)
• inkscape (vector graphics editor)
• audacity (audio editor)
• ffmpeg (audio and video converter)

gui apps

• thunar (file manager)
• obs-studio (screen recording and streaming)
• obsidian (note taking)
• ghostwriter (distraction free markdown editor)

font and latex

• ttf-jetbrains-mono (programming font)
• texlive-most (latex distribution)
• texstudio (latex editor)

misc

• flameshot (screenshot tool)
• zotero (reference manager)
• bitwarden (password manager)
• xrandr (screen resolution management)
• brightnessctl (screen brightness management)
• playerctl (media player controller)
• rustdesk (remote desktop)

my dotfiles

few addon modifications

scripts

important commands

tips and tricks

firefox

• shyfox theme
• privacy settings
• extensions
  • sidebery*
  • ublock origin
  • dark reader
  • privacy badger
  • https everywhere
  • vimium c
  • userchome toggle*
  • speed controller
  • wikiwand
  • grammarly

[!NOTE] *part of the shyfox theme

references

1. Arch Wiki
2. fwcd
3. reddit
4. Find Your Footing by Elijan Mastnak