This project provides statically linked binaries of core userland utilities from Chimera Linux — known as chimerautils — for the following platforms:
- linux/amd64
- linux/arm64
Ideal for minimal containers, embedded systems, and scripting workflows where portability and predictability matter most.
This package includes statically linked versions of the following tools:
awkdiffutilsfetchfindutilsgrepgzipncpatchsedshtelnetxargs
A key feature of the FreeBSD find utility is its built-in -s flag, which ensures lexicographically sorted output by default. This eliminates the need to pipe results through sort — a common practice with GNU findutils that can introduce inconsistencies due to locale settings, filename quirks, or whitespace issues. By handling sorting internally, FreeBSD find ensures deterministic and reliable output — making it ideal for scripting, automation, and reproducible builds.
The FreeBSD fetch utility is a lightweight, native alternative to tools like curl or wget, designed with simplicity and scriptability in mind. It supports both HTTP and FTP protocols out of the box, along with proxy handling, TLS, and resume functionality. Unlike heavier GNU alternatives, fetch has minimal dependencies and consistent behavior across systems, making it ideal for static environments, initramfs setups, or containerized workflows where reliability and size matter.
The BSD implementation of nc (netcat) is feature-rich yet minimal, making it ideal for scripting and troubleshooting. It supports critical options like -k (keep open for multiple connections), -X for proxy types, and built-in TLS support — often missing or inconsistently implemented across GNU/Linux distros.
The sh provided by BSD systems—often based on ash—is lightweight, fast, and strictly adheres to POSIX standards. This makes it an excellent default shell for scripting and system-level automation, especially in constrained or embedded environments. Unlike bash, which adds numerous extensions and behavioral quirks, or dash, which sacrifices some usability for speed, the BSD-style sh strikes a clean balance between simplicity and functionality. It provides predictable behavior across platforms, making scripts more portable and easier to debug.
FreeBSD’s xargs offers safer and more predictable behavior compared to its GNU counterpart. Most notably, it includes support for the -X flag, which prevents command execution if the generated argument list exceeds system limits—this is invaluable for scripting, where silent failures can lead to data loss or skipped operations.
These static binaries are built from Chimera Linux, a distribution that replaces traditional GNU userland tools with streamlined, FreeBSD-based alternatives. At its core is chimerautils, a unified package that ports essential FreeBSD utilities and provides a lightweight compatibility layer for seamless integration and static linking.
It serves as a drop-in replacement for:
coreutils,findutils,diffutils,sed,grep,gzip,patch,awk- Portions of
util-linuxand BusyBox - Additional tools such as
fetch,telnet,jot,xargs, and more
Unlike fragmented GNU replacements, chimerautils consolidates dozens of essential tools into a single, portable, Meson-based package. It’s designed to be minimal, consistent, and easy to audit — with no gnulib, fewer dependencies, and strong support for hardening techniques like Control Flow Integrity (CFI).