Linux Setup Generator

A browser-based tool that generates a personalised Linux install script in a few clicks — no terminal knowledge required.

Live site: linux-setup-generator.online

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What it does

Setting up a fresh Linux install means hunting down package names, copy-pasting install commands, and hoping you don't forget anything. This tool replaces all of that with a simple 3-step wizard:

1. Pick your distro — Ubuntu, Arch, or Void Linux
2. Choose your programs — browse and search 86 curated apps across 58 categories
3. Get your script — a ready-to-run bash script is generated and can be copied or downloaded

Everything runs in the browser. No account, no server, no data collection.

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Screenshots

How to use

Copy & paste

1. Go to the Setup Generator
2. Select your distro
3. Click the programs you want to install
4. Click Generate script
5. Click Copy to clipboard, open a terminal, paste with Ctrl+Shift+V, and press Enter

Download & run

1. Follow steps 1–4 above
2. Click Download script.sh
3. Open a terminal in the same folder and run:

   bash script.sh

You may be prompted for your password — this is normal. The script only runs the install commands for the programs you selected.

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Features

• Step progress bar — always know where you are in the flow
• Category sidebar — filter programs by type (terminal, editor, media player…)
• Real-time search — search by name, description, or category
• Distro-aware packages — uses the correct package name for each distro automatically
• Custom installs — programs not in standard repos ship their own install.sh
• Browser back button support — step state is tracked in the URL
• Copy / Download — get the script into your system in one click
• Beginner friendly — inline instructions explain every step

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Project structure

├── content/
│   ├── distros/          # Distro definitions (JSON)
│   ├── programs/         # Program catalog (one folder per program)
│   │   └── <slug>/
│   │       ├── program.json
│   │       └── custom_install/
│   │           └── install.sh   # Only for CUSTOM_INSTALL programs
│   └── categories/       # Category definitions (JSON)
├── layouts/
│   ├── _default/
│   │   └── baseof.html   # Base template (nav, styles, footer)
│   ├── index.html         # Home page
│   ├── programs/
│   │   └── list.html      # Programs catalog page
│   ├── setup-generator/
│   │   └── single.html    # 3-step generator wizard
│   └── partials/
│       ├── program-browser.html     # Shared program list + sidebar HTML
│       └── program-browser-js.html  # Shared program browser logic
├── static/
│   └── js/
│       └── script-generator.js   # Script generation class
└── .github/
    └── workflows/
        └── hugo.yml       # GitHub Pages deploy workflow

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Adding a program

Create a folder under content/programs/<slug>/ and add a program.json:

{
  "name": "Alacritty",
  "slug": "alacritty",
  "description": "A fast, GPU-accelerated terminal emulator",
  "git_repo": "https://github.com/alacritty/alacritty",
  "website": "https://alacritty.org/",
  "license": "MIT",
  "categories": ["terminal"],
  "package_names": {
    "default": "alacritty",
    "ubuntu": "alacritty",
    "arch": "alacritty",
    "void": "alacritty"
  }
}

Distro-specific package names

The package_names object maps distro slugs to package names. If the target distro is not listed, default is used as a fallback.

Custom install

If a program is not available through the standard package manager, set the package name to "CUSTOM_INSTALL" and add an install script at custom_install/install.sh:

"package_names": {
  "default": "CUSTOM_INSTALL"
}

If the program has dependencies that need to be installed first, list them in a dependencies array:

"dependencies": ["curl", "git"]

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Adding a distro

Create a file under content/distros/<slug>.json:

{
  "name": "Ubuntu",
  "slug": "ubuntu",
  "description": "Ubuntu is a Debian-based Linux distribution.",
  "install_package_command": "apt-get install -y"
}

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Local development

Requirements: Hugo extended v0.155+

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/rajporus19/linux-setup-generator.git
cd linux-setup-generator

# Start the dev server
hugo server -b http://localhost:1313 -p 1313

The site will be available at http://localhost:1313/.

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Deployment

The site deploys automatically to GitHub Pages on every push to main via the workflow at .github/workflows/hugo.yml.

Setup (one time):

1. Go to Settings → Pages in your GitHub repo
2. Set Source to GitHub Actions
3. Push to main — the workflow will build and deploy the site

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Tech stack

Layer	Technology
Static site generator	Hugo
Templating	Hugo templates (Go template syntax)
Styling	Plain CSS (no framework)
JavaScript	Vanilla JS, no dependencies
Script generation	Custom ScriptGenerator class
Hosting	GitHub Pages
CI/CD	GitHub Actions

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License

GPL-3.0