DietPi vs Raspbian Lite!

[SovietMushroomCloud]

I’m glad everyone is having fun with DietPi. My experience is a bit different. See post RPI ZERO W keeps rebooting

I’ve installed it on a Pi3 B+ and installed the WifiHotspot and it works great. But my issue is with the PiZero W. Any package I install so far cause the Pi Zero W to just keep rebooting. Has anyone installed it on a Pi Zero W?

I am having issues with RPi zero W as well. maybe newest update of kernel/firmware is breaking things…

[Joulinar]

Hi,

let me try to answer your questions one by one:

Hi there,
This is my feedback comparing dietpi and Pi OS lite. This is also my first contribution to this forum.

Welcome in our community

First of all, DietPi is not an own Operating System or Distribution. DietPi is a bundle of scripts on top of a standard Debian installation. Means the whole software update process is done the same way as on all other Debian distribution. Basically you could turn a normal Debian into a DietPi by just running 1 script. Depending on your SBC, DietPi is using different base images. Mainly used images are Armbian, Meveric or for PRi boards Raspberry OS. Means for your board Raspberry OS is used as base image, including kernel or firmware. DietPi themself did not provide this.

I wanted to have alternative system for my pihole on pi zero w. I have exactly zero experience with dietpi.
Installation: Documentation to install is not great. I was looking for instruction how to DD or copy provided image to sd card, never found one, so I simply tried. I was looking for making a wpa_supplicant, because, remember, it is pi zero w, no keyboard, no monitor, no nothing. I figured out that wifi is set in some alternative place. ssh is enabled by default, nice.

A full documentation is available on our online docs DietPi Documentation - DietPi.com Docs
There is a documentation how to configure WiFi before first boot on our install guide chapter 2 / last section How to install DietPi - DietPi.com Docs

First boot. This was painful, interactive guide was insisting on testing DNS resolv, but probably under ipv6. It keeps failing.
When I force it, using ping to 1.1.1.1 or something along those lines, it works, sort of.

we recommend to disable IPv6 if not activated/used on local network. This can be done on dietpi.txt before first boot.

# IPv6
CONFIG_ENABLE_IPV6=0

As well the IP for DNS check can be adjusted on your needs within dietpi.txt before first boot.

# General connection and DNS testing
# - IP to ping when checking network connectivity. Default: 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare DNS, should be very fast world-wide)
CONFIG_CHECK_CONNECTION_IP=1.1.1.1
# - Domain to ping when checking DNS resolver. Default: one.one.one.one (Cloudflare DNS domain, see above)
CONFIG_CHECK_DNS_DOMAIN=one.one.one.one

System then self updates, without asking me about it. At least it did not failed. Pi OS lite fails on apt-get upgrade when deploying new firmware and kernel…bricking device like pi zero w.

This is as expected. On first boot, DietPi will perform an update to latest version. Always. This is something that can’t be skip.

When I try to install anything, say pihole or nmap, it start nagging with testing my DNS, using hardcoded quad servers. My DNS is just fine, why it keeps nagging? I run alternative command ‘true’ but why it does not offer ignore option?

This is working as expected to ensure a valid network connection. IP for DNS check can be adjusted on your needs within dietpi.txt. s.a.

At the end of day, I gave up (for now), I do not know if I have or have not ipv6 address and/or connectivity on this device, or if there is some problem. Why is that important enough to keep nagging about it every 30 seconds?

just disable IPv6 within dietpi.txt or use dietpi-config tool

What it can and can not do? How do I install software withhout that dns nagging propmpt? What was my ip, both v6 and v4? is zeroconf running? mDNS?

Before every softeware installation, performed by dietpi-soctware, a DNS/network connectivity check is done.

WHAT I LIKE: less writing, by default. SD should work longer.

This is one of the main aims of DietPi to reduce r/w operation on SD card as much as possible.

[Damianiw]

Having had a pi model b 256mb since launch and trying several things to do with it (I had it running plane finder with ADSB receiver but the cheap DVB stick died after a year) my pi had been gathering dust… until I found DietPi thanks for your amazing work, I’d tried to install pihole ages ago and failed, the hardest thing about DietPi was waiting for the OS to update, with very few keystrokes I have a fully working pihole running unbound too - the fact I didn’t even know what unbound was but saw on the package list and thought yeah that’s something to try shows how awesome the optimised software list is, I thought I’d have to do extra configuration but nope select both and sit back - wow

Thanks

[Joulinar]

thx for your feedback and compliment. Much appreciated.

[Joulinar]

We created a new comparison overview. Check it out https://dietpi.com/stats.html

[inspector71]

I find the tables when freemium sites, for example, are goodly enough to list features and tick which apply to the free version, which do not, to be very helpful.

Rather than strictly focusing on stats alone. Is there a similar table relating DietPi to other distributions? If not, perhaps one could be started and I would like to contribute if possible. Might be helpful for others. A non-forum location would seem better though.

[Joulinar]

Up to date stats side is located directly on the main page and not within the forum anymore https://dietpi.com/stats.html

[zzr]

How does the DietPi 64-bit kernel differ from the RaspiOS 64-bit Beta Kernel?

Also, are you aware of any differences in the software AES implementation (“NEON”)?

See here: https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=317075

[Joulinar]

There is no difference between the kernel as it is exactly same one. DietPi did not and will not create own kernel. DietPi is not an own OS, it’s a set of scripts on top of a base image. In case of Raspberry Pi, we use Raspberry OS as base.

[wyup]

Hello. I’ve been following DietPi as a enthusiast. Is still current version v8.11 based on latest RPiOS September 22nd 5.15.61 kernel and Debian 11 bullseye? Kernel version and tuning is the same?
Does it mean that apart from Dietpi’s own software management utility, I can do ‘sudo apt install/update’ like on RPiOS and edit files and services as if i was on RPiOS?
So I can see DietPiOS as a more upgraded, lightweight by default and tuned RPiOS, with the same compatibility, right?
Can I also move to RPiOS testing branch from DietPi as well?

[Joulinar]

basically, the DietPi version has no relation to kernel or something like apt package version. It’s just our script. The rest of OS is close to stock with some magic.

You can do whatever you did on RPi OS. Just need to keep in mind that we run half of packages compare to plain RPi OS. Means, there might be additional software install necessary.

BTW: current RPI kernel is 5.15.76. You can use official rpi-update to switch kernel

If needed, we offer Debian Bookworm for testing already https://dietpi.com/downloads/images/DietPi_RPi-ARMv8-Bookworm.7z

[wyup]

Thanks. So if I understand well, Dietpi doesn’t include RPiOS’ apt package manager or their repository. Dietpi has its own script for installing its own package collection.

So if I wanted to install something that’s not in DP repo I wouid have to build it manually, would I?

Why not maintain compatibility to have the choice of install and maintenance scripts plus apt get flexibility, if the rest of the os is the same? Ok… I guess there would be conflicts between both if mixed together…

[Jappe]

@wyup

Thanks. So if I understand well, Dietpi doesn’t include RPiOS’ apt package manager or their repository. Dietpi has its own script for installing its own package collection.

No, you can use apt like on RPi OS. But on DietPi some packages are not preinstalled like on RPi OS (so basically it’s on diet ) There is also no own package collection.
But to make things more easy when working with CLI, DietPi provides GUI-like scripts to manage things.
You can simply launch dietpi-launcher to see which tools are available and also have a look into the docs

[Joulinar]

Yap you totally misunderstood. We use official apt package repository. Same as RPi OS. We don’t have own repository or similar.

[MichaIng]

The dietpi-software collection often uses APT itself to install packages and dependencies. But it also includes software which is not available with APT. Most importantly it does most of the common setup and config stuff you usually want, like setting up the webserver, PHP and databaae to work together and serve the web application you installed.

[quantiota]

hey,

Successfully deployed Raspberry Pi AI Agent Host, with services QuestDB, Grafana and Code-Server, on Raspberry Pi 4 8GB using DietPi. Code-Server is remotely connected to a JupyterHub installed on a GPU Server. It works out of the box. Note, it doesn’t install with Raspbian Lite!.

Thanks