Root Filesystem

The Root Filesystem contains all the necessary binaries your system needs to boot

After building a kernel you need a userspace which contains all the binaries you want in your system. Like echo, cat, ls, candy crush (o.O looking at you MS)

There are two ways to get these binaries Option 1: Build your own root filesystem with Buildroot or similar tools Option 2: Get a premade root filesystem (distro)

Option 1: Build your own Root Filesystem

pro	contra
Very small (few MB)	You need to install all packages by yourself
Boots very fast	For advanced users

Option 2: Get an ARM Distro

pro	contra
Many packages preinstalled	Large (up to few GB)
Community support	Bloated
Easy for beginners (except Arch)