PARROTLINUX
Parrot Linux: the operating system for Hackers
Guides, downloads and release notes for the Parrot security Linux distribution
What's new in Parrot Linux 7.4Tools for every operation
Choose between 600+ tools for every kind of Red and Blue team operation.
Parrot Linux provides a huge arsenal of tools, utilities and libraries that IT and security professionals can use to test and assess the security of their assets in a reliable, compliant and reproducible way. From information gathering to the final report, the Parrot system gets you covered with the most flexible environment.
Explore over 600+ tools
System Security
The system is designed from the ground up to be secure. Native support for full disk encryption, blazing fast security updates and a hardened debian core makes the system the perfect place to store sensitive data.
Portability
Parrot is based on top of Debian, the most advanced and recognized universal operating system that can run anywhere. From your laptop to your Phone, the Parrot core can be executed on a huge range of environments, including servers, IoT boards, cloud containers and more.
Performance
The system is engineered to be lightweight. It runs on older hardware and leaves your CPU and memory to your applications during intensive tasks.
Privacy
Don't leave your sensitive customer data floating around unprotected. The installer supports full disk encryption, and the system lets you handle data in the most secure and reliable way. Parrot OS is free from trackers and telemetry.
Customizability
Perfect default settings and great customizability are key to the success of the Parrot project. You can either fall in love with the italian style of the Parrot system, or use it as a framework to build your custom system tailored around your very own needs and style.
Freedom
The system is Free and Open Source. The code that powers it is published through the project APT repository and public Git servers for you to read, customize and contribute to.
Hacking tools at your fingertips
You can install your favorite tools on top of any Linux system, but it is time-consuming, prone to errors and hard to keep updated over time. Parrot gives you a familiar Debian environment with the tools already packaged. The Parrot maintainers update, test and package them.
Having a bunch of git clones thrown at your desktop is something of the past. The distribution does the hard work, not you.
A Developer Friendly environment
Whether you are an IT or security professional who needs to write your custom scripts, or a software developer in search for the best environment to work with your favorite languages and frameworks, Parrot is made for you.
Programming languages & Frameworks
Parrot integrates popular programming languages, compilers, interpreters, libraries and development frameworks, either pre-installed or one command away through the Parrot software repository.
You can also use Parrot in your CI/CD pipelines to add security tests to your release workflow.
Development tools
Parrot ships with a VS Code based editor pre-installed: an advanced, extensible editor with IDE capabilities. Other IDEs and editors can be installed from the Parrot software repository.
Boot the system, start the editor, run the code. It cannot get easier than that.
About the Parrot distribution
First released in 2013, Parrot is developed by its upstream project and community. This site is an independent guide to it.
Debian 13 base, Linux 7.1 kernel
Parrot 7.4, released in October 2026, is built on Debian 13 and ships KDE Plasma 6 as the default desktop, with lighter MATE, LXQt and Enlightenment spins.
A full security toolset
The Security Edition comes with tools for reconnaissance, web testing, exploitation, wireless auditing, reverse engineering and forensics already packaged and kept up to date.
Free and open source
Parrot is free to download and use. Its code is public, and releases are published by the upstream project for x86-64, ARM64 and RISC-V.
ParrotOS versions
Different versions for different players, role your need and play freely.
Home Edition
Home edition is designed for daily use, privacy and software development. Parrot Tools can be manually installed to assemble a custom and lightweight pentesting environment.
DownloadSecurity Edition
Parrot Linux is a special purpose operating system designed for Penetration Testing and Red Team operations. It contains a full arsenal of ready-to-use pentesting tools.
DownloadCloud Edition
Headless builds for servers, cloud instances, containers and virtual machines.
DownloadArchitect Edition
A minimal installer with nothing pre-installed. Use it to pick a different desktop environment, do a minimal installation or choose a custom set of tools at install time.
DownloadRaspberry Pi Images
From now on, Parrot is also available for Raspberry Pi. Install whatever you like.
DownloadHack The Box Edition
Pwnbox is a completely browser accessible virtual hacking distro including everything a hacker needs, powered by Hack The Box.
DownloadParrotOS now web-based through Hack The Box
Pwnbox is a completely browser accessible virtual hacking distro including everything a hacker needs, powered by Hack The Box.
Download
Develop for ParrotOS
Parrot is an open source project and anyone can help improve it. Code, packaging, documentation and testing happen on the project public development platform. This site is not part of the project; the guide below explains where to start.