DietPi, a lightweight, performance-focused Debian-based Linux distro for SBCs (such as Raspberry Pi) and server systems (with an option to install desktop environments), has released version 10.1 as the first maintenance update to its 10.x series.
The biggest change is official support for the NanoPi Zero2. The update also adds WhoDB, a database management tool with an AI-powered chat interface, to the DietPi-Software catalog.
This release also brings several behind-the-scenes improvements. On the NanoPi R5C, Ethernet ports now keep their names after a reboot, so LAN and WAN assignments stay consistent. At the same time, DietPi-Banner now shows the running Linux kernel version.
There is also a key change for Python-based software. Now, all Python apps use virtual environments instead of installing to the system-wide /usr/local path. During the update, apps like Synapse, motionEye, and OctoPrint are reinstalled automatically to ensure a smooth migration and keep user data and plugins safe.
RISC-V support has grown as well. With official builds now available, Navidrome can be installed on RISC-V systems using DietPi. MinIO has also been updated: the mc console client now installs with the server to make up for fewer admin features in the web interface.
Regarding remote desktop capabilities, TigerVNC, RealVNC, and XRDP no longer need a full desktop environment and can work with just an X server. This allows for lighter setups where users only run a single graphical app instead of a whole desktop session.
On the bug fixes side, boot failures on ZeroPi caused by a bad bootloader update are now resolved. Installation problems with BirdNET-Go, Chromium kiosk mode, ADS-B Feeder on RISC-V and 32-bit ARM, Gogs on ARMv8, microblog.pub, and Pi-hole’s first-run dialog have all been fixed. Also, APT errors from a Plex repository key change are now handled automatically by switching to a new repository.
Like earlier updates, this release also brings smaller performance boosts and stability improvements. For more information, see the announcement.
