Photon OS

Spec sheet

Purpose

Photon OS is an open source, security-hardened Linux appliance operating system built for cloud and edge applications.Read 9 Oct 2026 · vmware.github.io

Deployment

Photon OS can run on bare metal, VMware ESXi hypervisors, or public clouds.Read 9 Oct 2026 · vmware.github.io

Integrations

The project identifies VMware vSphere, Microsoft Azure, Google Compute Engine, and Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud as environments where Photon OS can run containers.Read 9 Oct 2026 · vmware.github.io

Security

The site says the kernel follows Kernel Self-Protection Project recommendations and packages use hardened security flags and can be updated and verified.Read 9 Oct 2026 · vmware.github.io

Support

The project provides community support through its GitHub project page and issues page.Read 9 Oct 2026 · vmware.github.io

License

The site says ISO and OVA images are distributed under the VMware Photon OS EULA and links to open source license information.Read 9 Oct 2026 · vmware.github.io

Cloud compatibility

The site names VMware vSphere, Microsoft Azure, Google Compute Engine, and Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud as container deployment environments.Read 9 Oct 2026 · vmware.github.io

Containers

It can act as a standalone container host or run cloud-scale Kubernetes nodes and clusters.Read 9 Oct 2026 · vmware.github.io

Containers and Kubernetes

It can serve as a standalone container host or as a base for Kubernetes nodes and clusters.Read 9 Oct 2026 · vmware.github.io

Contributions

The project welcomes community contributions and says its CLA bot guides contributors who have not signed the Contributor License Agreement.Read 9 Oct 2026 · vmware.github.io

Development

The site describes Photon OS as a local or remote development environment for building modern applications.Read 9 Oct 2026 · vmware.github.io

Downloads

The site lists local images for x86, ARM64, and Raspberry Pi, plus cloud images for AWS, GCE, and Azure.Read 9 Oct 2026 · vmware.github.io

Images

Downloads include ISO and OVA images, plus cloud images for AWS, Google Compute Engine, and Azure; local images are available for x86, ARM64, and Raspberry Pi.Read 9 Oct 2026 · vmware.github.io

Install options

ISO images offer minimal or full installations and support direct installation or automated PXE/kickstart installation.Read 9 Oct 2026 · vmware.github.io

Installation options

ISO downloads offer minimal or full installations, and the site also describes PXE/kickstart automated installation and OVA appliances.Read 9 Oct 2026 · vmware.github.io

Package management

Photon OS uses tdnf, an open-source, yum-compatible package manager designed to keep the operating system small.Read 9 Oct 2026 · vmware.github.io

Real-time workloads

Photon OS provides a real-time kernel stack for deployments such as Virtual Radio Access Network applications that need ultra-low latency.Read 9 Oct 2026 · vmware.github.io

Virtual machines and bare metal

It runs applications on bare metal, VMware ESXi hypervisors, and public clouds.Read 9 Oct 2026 · vmware.github.io

Plans and prices

Every Photon OS plan and price →

Where Specifiction places it

• Server Operating System#10 of 297.6
• Operating Systems#20 of 427.8