What is EndeavourOS?
EndeavourOS is an Arch-linux based distribution with only little but sensible changes compared to vanilla Arch. It runs well out of the box, has a graphical installer based on the calamares framework, and does not need hour long configuration to get to a useful level. It is basically Arch Linux without the headache. Also, it is rolling-release, but with a little headroom. Packages get tested for a couple of days before the reach EndeavourOS. This means it is more stable than vanilla Arch.
A word of caution:
The installation process of Arch Linux is quite a learning curve. While being
rather tedious, it is also really helpful to understand how the system works,
and what components it is built upon. This learning process is neglected by
installing EndeavourOS.
Disclaimer: following information is based on my own experience and AI. Do not rely on this information only, double-check it if you must be sure.
What is EndeavourOS built upon?
Kernel
EndeavourOS is built using the latest Arch Kernel (6.17.7-arch1-1 at the point of this writing). Of course, you can add other kernels such as the more stable lts-kernel without any trouble.
Initial Ram file system
EndeavourOS uses dracut instead of mkinitcpio for generating the initramfs. Dracut is used in other major distributions like Fedora and Red Hat, and aims to have less hardcoded paths and easier support for complex setups.
Dracut Advantages
Dracut provides better support for complex storage setups, including LVM, RAID, dm-crypt, and multipath devices. It's more modular and has better integration with systemd, which makes the boot process more streamlined and reliable.
Desktop Environments & Window Managers
EndeavourOS offers multiple desktop environments through its installer including Xfce, KDE Plasma, GNOME, LXQt, MATE, Cinnamon, Budgie, and window managers like i3-wm. Being an Arch-based distro, Hyprland or niri are also available.
Display Server
EndeavourOS supports both Xorg and wayland. I believe it ships with wayland by default, as support for Xorg is slowly fading.
Package Management
EndeavourOS uses Pacman as the primary package manager. Access to the Arch User Repository (AUR) is done by including Yet Another Yoghurt (yay) by default. Other AUR-helpers such as paru are also supported.
Init System
EndeavourOS uses systemd as the init system and service manager.
Bootloader
Both GRUB and systemd-boot are supported options
EndeavourOS Specific Tools
Included are a Welcome application, an EndeavourOS updater, and EndeavourOS themes and branding throughout the system.
Graphics Drivers
EndeavourOS includes open-source graphics drivers (Mesa) with easy installation options for proprietary NVIDIA drivers if needed.
File system
EndeavourOS supports most common file systems. Being a rolling release Arch-based distribution, btrfs is often used.
Conclusion
EndeavourOS works like a charm. Ease of setup, sensible defaults and all the other benefits of being Arch-based make this distro really cool. I experienced only few stability issues - nothing that a quick rollback would not solve. with EndeavourOS, you get basically a vanilla Arch experience without the need to set up everything yourself. But you still can change everything, just like in Arch. So you get all the benefits, with almost no drawbacks. The only drawback of using EndeavourOS compared to vanilla Arch is that you cannot learn directly from the installation process. I started without much knowledge about Linux, and EndeavourOS helped getting used to it. If you want to configure your system, you still have to learn all Modules and how they work, but you can choose the time when you want to do that. In Arch, you just get forced to do it right at the installation.
However, you do need to install either timeshift or snapper (with btrfs) yourself, such a program does not come preinstalled.