Ubuntu — Highly Compressed 10mb ((exclusive))

: The core of Ubuntu, including the kernel and essential utilities, is already quite compact. However, adding any desktop environment or even a significant number of command-line tools quickly increases the size.

The compressed download is often around 25MB to 30MB , which is the closest you will get to your 10MB goal while keeping it functional. ubuntu highly compressed 10mb

Trying to understand disk usage - Support and Help - Ubuntu Discourse : The core of Ubuntu, including the kernel

Recompile the entire base system against musl libc instead of glibc. This is a massive undertaking but reduces binary size by 30-40%. Tools like musl-cross-make can help. A static busybox binary replaces coreutils. : The core of Ubuntu