Btrfs

This is Part 1 of the Arch Linux Install series. In this post, we’ll partition and encrypt the drive with LUKS2, lay out BTRFS subvolumes, and get everything mounted and ready for the base install in Part 2. Why LUKS2 and BTRFS? Arch’s default install guide doesn’t set up encryption or BTRFS. I’m using both here, and it’s worth explaining why before diving in. Full-disk encryption (LUKS2): If this machine is ever lost or stolen, an unencrypted drive means anyone with physical access can read every file on it just by booting from a USB stick. LUKS2 makes the drive unreadable without the passphrase, even if it’s pulled out and connected to another machine directly. ...

Welcome! This series walks through installing Arch Linux from scratch with full-disk encryption, BTRFS subvolumes with automatic snapshots, and a complete KDE Plasma desktop, split into four parts you can follow start to finish or jump into individually. What You’ll Build By the end of this series, you’ll have a fully encrypted Arch Linux desktop: LUKS2 full-disk encryption, BTRFS subvolumes with automatic Snapper snapshots, a properly configured package manager with AUR support, working audio, bluetooth, printing, and graphics, and a KDE Plasma desktop on top of it all. ...