How Our Documentation Is Organized
Garden Linux documentation is organized to help you find what you need quickly, whether you're learning the basics, solving a specific problem, understanding concepts, or looking up technical details.
Documentation Structure
Our documentation follows a proven framework that organizes content by what you need, not by your role. Here's how to navigate:
🎓 Tutorials — "I want to learn"
Purpose: Learn by doing with step-by-step guides Best for: Newcomers, those trying Garden Linux for the first time
Tutorials are hands-on, learning-oriented guides that walk you through complete workflows from start to finish. Each tutorial:
- Starts from zero knowledge
- Provides complete, copy-pasteable commands
- Guarantees success if followed exactly
- Takes 15-30 minutes to complete
Start here: First Boot Tutorials
Examples:
- First Boot on AWS, Azure, GCP, KVM, Lima, etc.
- Complete walkthroughs for each platform
🛠️ How-to Guides — "I want to accomplish a task"
Purpose: Step-by-step solutions for specific problems Best for: Users who know what they want to do
How-to guides are goal-oriented instructions that help you accomplish specific tasks. They assume some familiarity with Garden Linux and focus on practical solutions.
Start here: How-to Guides
Categories:
- Getting Started: Choosing flavors, getting images, initial configuration
- Platform-Specific: AWS, Azure, GCP, KVM, OpenStack, Lima, OCI, VMware, Bare Metal
- Security: SSH hardening, Secure Boot, time configuration
- Customization: Building features and flavors, testing builds
- System Management: Updates, users, disks, APT repositories
💡 Explanation — "I want to understand"
Purpose: Background, concepts, and design philosophy Best for: Users who want to understand why and how things work
Explanations provide context and background to help you think about Garden Linux. They're discursive and conceptual rather than task-focused.
Start here: Explanation
Topics:
- Use Cases: Why use Garden Linux? What problems does it solve?
- Flavors and Features: How the build system works
- Image Types: Different formats and boot modes
- Architecture: System design and components
- Security Posture: Security philosophy and approach
- Release Cadence: Release lifecycle and versioning
- Design Decisions: Key architectural choices and rationale
📚 Reference — "I want to look something up"
Purpose: Technical specifications and lookup tables Best for: Users who need accurate, detailed information
Reference documentation provides concise, accurate technical details organized for quick lookup.
Start here: Reference
Includes:
- Flavor Matrix: Complete table of all available flavors
- Feature Glossary: All features documented
- Platform Compatibility: Which platforms support which features
- Image Formats: Naming conventions and specifications
- Kernels and Modules: Kernel versions and module support
- Releases: Maintained releases and release notes
- API Documentation: CLI and Python library reference
🤝 Contributing
Purpose: Guidelines for contributing to Garden Linux Best for: Contributors to code or documentation
Contributing guides explain how to participate in Garden Linux development.
Start here: Contributing
Topics:
- Documentation guide
- Building and testing images
- Contribution workflow
- Code style and conventions
- Dependency policy
Where Should I Start?
Choose your path based on your situation:
| Your Situation | Where to Go |
|---|---|
| New to Garden Linux? | Start with Tutorials to learn the basics |
| Need to deploy on a specific platform? | Go to How-to Guides → Platform-Specific |
| Want to customize Garden Linux? | Check How-to Guides → Customization |
| Need to understand concepts? | Read Explanation for background |
| Looking for specific details? | Search Reference documentation |
| Want to contribute? | See Contributing guidelines |
Documentation Principles
Content Types
Each section has a specific purpose:
- Tutorials teach through practice
- How-to guides solve specific problems
- Explanations provide understanding
- Reference offers precise specifications
Finding Related Content
Documentation types are interconnected:
- Tutorials link to relevant how-to guides for variations
- How-to guides link to explanations for background
- Explanations link to reference for detailed specs
- Reference links to tutorials and how-to guides for examples
Getting Help
If you can't find what you need:
- Use the search feature (top navigation)
- Check the FAQ or troubleshooting guides (if applicable)
- Visit the Garden Linux GitHub repository
- Open an issue or discussion on GitHub
About This Organization
This documentation structure is based on the Diátaxis framework, a systematic approach to technical documentation that organizes content by user needs rather than by topics or roles. This makes it easier to find the right information at the right time.