True Debian bookworm
Debian 12 (bookworm) user-space, verified by SHA-256 before it ever unpacks. Full apt repository access — anything in the archive is one command away.
Run real Linux distros on Android
Pick from 12 distros — Debian, Ubuntu, Alpine, Kali, and run it in seconds. proot user-space, a custom-built terminal emulator, concurrent sessions and a live dashboard. No VNC, no GUI layers, no root required.
12 distros · arm64-v8a · Android 7.0+ · no root
debterm@localhost:~ — bash
v2.4.0release
~1 MBapk size
12distros
7.0+android (arm64)
under the hood
Everything a terminal should be.
Nothing it shouldn't.
Custom emulator C + Kotlin
Hand-written VT100/xterm engine: 256 colors, UTF-8, CJK wide cells, scrollback and alt-screen. Built for the keyboard era, not a VNC screenshot.
Multi-tab
Run as many parallel sessions as you like. Tap to switch, long-press to close.
Boring on purpose
Terminal only. No telemetry, no ads, no accounts, and zero external dependencies inside the APK.
Multi-distro dashboard
A Material You home screen with live CPU, RAM and storage dials. Container cards with status badges, one-tap terminal, delete with confirmation.
Free-form selection
Long-press and drag to highlight any region. Release to copy exactly what you see. The floating bar lets you choose Copy, Paste or Select all.
Session keeper
A foreground service keeps your shells alive through app switches and extended backgrounding — the same approach Termux uses.
supply-chain sanity
Verify it. Installing a whole OS deserves it.
- The APK file above is what ships — compare its SHA-256 against your download.
- On first launch, the app verifies the Debian rootfs against a known checksum before extracting. A corrupted or tampered archive never unpacks.
- proot keeps everything in user-space — no root, no partitions, no drama.
The APK ships with zero external dependencies — no analytics, no accounts, no ad SDKs. Boring, on purpose.
# verify your download
$ sha256sum DebTerm-v2.4.0-debug.apk
0770c4cb51a…90327ef4a ✓ matches
SHA-256
0770c4cb51aa071ed73c583e38f06cf80e846a5a65156f6f3f61bb390327ef4a
distro catalog
Pick your distribution.
Each distro is a separate container with its own rootfs, sessions and package manager. All verified linux/arm64 on the Docker registry.
Debian 12
bookworm · APT
The rock-solid universal OS. Our default distro — proven, stable, and the whole archive is one command away.
default
Ubuntu 24.04
noble · APT
LTS stability with the largest community. Familiar to desktop users and great for development.
LTS
Alpine 3.20
musl · APK
Ultra-compact ~4 MB rootfs. Lightning fast to download and launch. Ideal for quick tasks.
instant
Kali Linux
rolling · APT
Security and pentest tooling on your phone. Large download but the full toolset.
large
Fedora 41
DNF · fresh
Quick releases with modern toolchains. Good for trying the latest packages.
new
Rocky Linux 9
DNF · RHEL-compatible
Enterprise-grade base for testing RHEL workflows on the go.
enterprise
openSUSE Tumbleweed
Zypper · rolling
Rolling release with QA-tested snapshots. Independent, non-systemd workflows.
rolling
CentOS 7
yum · classic enterprise
The legacy enterprise Linux. Huge install base, proven stability, the RHEL predecessor.
enterprise
Oracle Linux 8
dnf · enterprise
RHEL-compatible with Oracle's own kernel. Enterprise-grade for testing Oracle workloads.
enterprise
Amazon Linux 2
yum · AWS-optimized
The AWS production OS. Optimized for cloud workloads, familiar yum-based packaging.
cloud
NixOS
nix · declarative
Reproducible, declarative builds. Install any package without polluting the system path.
unique
BusyBox
built-in · ~1 MB
Ultra-minimal — wget and core utils built in. The fastest possible Linux environment.
instantsetup
From APK to a root shell in four steps.
~40 MB download on first launch (Wi-Fi recommended); rootfs arrives preinstalled.
- Download the APK
Tap Download APK above. ~1 MB APK; the rootfs (essentials preinstalled) arrives on first launch.
- Allow installs via browser
Android may ask permission: Settings →
Install unknown apps→ allow. - Install the package
Open the APK and tap Install.
- First launch equals the rootfs
On first run, DebTerm downloads the ~40 MB Debian rootfs, verifies it, and unpacks Debian. You land at a root shell.
faq
Questions, answered.
Do I need root to use DebTerm?
No. DebTerm runs Debian through proot entirely in user-space — no root, no partitions.
Which Android versions and architectures are supported?
The current build targets Android 7.0 and newer on arm64-v8a devices.
Can I run GUI apps?
No — and that's deliberate. There's no VNC and no GUI layers: the product is the command line. If you want a GUI there are other tools; if you want a fast, honest terminal, this is it.
What happens on first launch? Why another download?
The APK is ~1 MB. On first launch it downloads the ~40 MB Debian 12 user-space with the essentials already installed (curl, wget & friends baked into the tree), verifies checksums, and unpacks it. No apt, no package downloads on device. Wi-Fi recommended.
How big is the package universe? Is it really the whole Debian archive?
Yes —
apt reaches the standard Debian 12 repositories, including bookworm-updates and bookworm-security. Anything in the archive is one command away — from htop to jq to a compiler toolchain.Does it include telemetry, ads or accounts?
No telemetry, no ads, no accounts, and zero external dependencies inside the APK. DebTerm is "boring on purpose" — terminal only.
Google Play Protect says this app may be harmful. Why?
DebTerm is sideloaded outside Google Play, so Play Protect can't verify its signature — it shows a "may be harmful" prompt. Tap Install anyway (or More details → Install anyway). To stop the nag: Play Store → Play Protect → gear icon → turn off Scan apps with Play Protect. The warning exists because the app is not a Play Store listing — it cannot be silenced from the APK side.
Linux distros on your phone.
One 1 MB APK, a ~40 MB first-run download with curl preinstalled, and an apt archive that never ends. That's the pitch.