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EnglishHow the Arch Linux Forums Fit With the Wiki, AUR, GitLab, and Security Tracker
Updated
The Arch Linux Forums (bbs.archlinux.org) is the community discussion and troubleshooting layer of the Arch ecosystem, not a documentation or package source. The site's own navigation lists it alongside Home, Packages, Wiki, GitLab, Security, AUR, and Download — so it sits as one of several official platforms, each with a distinct job. Use the Wiki to learn how something works, the AUR to obtain user-submitted packages, GitLab for source and bug tracking, the Security tracker for advisories, and the forum when you need human help with a specific problem.
What each resource is for
| Resource | Primary purpose | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Wiki | Documentation, installation and configuration guides | Read before posting; the forum explicitly points beginners to it |
| Forums | Community discussion and troubleshooting | Ask about a concrete problem you can't resolve from docs |
| AUR | User-submitted package build files | Get software not in the official repos |
| GitLab | Source code, packaging, bug reports | Report or track upstream issues |
| Security | Advisories and vulnerability information | Check whether an issue affects you |
The forum's Newbie Corner description makes the relationship explicit: it asks users to "consult the excellent Arch wiki and web before posting" and to try the forum search first. That ordering — Wiki, then search, then post — is the intended workflow.
Where the forum overlaps with the AUR
Packaging is the clearest point of contact. The forum has a dedicated section, Pacman Upgrades, Packaging & AUR, which is where AUR-related discussion and packaging questions live. The AUR itself hosts the build files; the forum is where you discuss problems with them, ask about PKGBUILD practices, or work through upgrade issues. If your question is "how do I install this AUR package," the AUR page and Wiki answer it. If it's "why did this build fail on my system," the forum is the right place.
Choosing the right board
The forum is organized by problem domain rather than by resource type, so pick the board that matches your issue:
- Newbie Corner — general Arch questions, with a strong expectation that you've read the Wiki first
- Installation — problems installing the OS
- Kernel & Hardware — kernel and hardware support
- Applications & Desktop Environments — configuration, printing, mounting, desktop apps
- Laptop Issues — Arch on laptops
- Networking, Server, and Protection — networking, server software, firewall and SSH
- Multimedia and Games — audio, video, image, and game support
- Arch Linux Guided Installer — issues with
archinstall - System Administration — systemd, udev, logging, bootloader; the board notes that if you don't need root access, the issue probably doesn't belong there
Practical sequence
- Check the Wiki for the task or error.
- Search the forum (upper-left search function) for an existing thread.
- If nothing fits, post in the board matching your domain, describing what you tried and what happened.
- For AUR or packaging specifics, use the Pacman Upgrades, Packaging & AUR section.
The forum is a support and discussion channel that assumes the other resources exist and have been consulted — it complements the Wiki, AUR, GitLab, and Security tracker rather than replacing any of them.