Clear Linux OS is built so that the OS does not get in the middle of development activities, while providing:
- Performance
- Security
- Customization & manageability
- Efficient updates
Performance
Clear Linux OS is highly tuned for Intel platforms across the whole stack: the platform, kernel, math libraries, middleware layers, frameworks, and runtime.
The Clear Linux Project team uses multiple methods to optimize for performance on Intel products: kernel configurations, compiler flags, and automatic use of optimized binaries and libraries. On Intel's CPUs with AVX512 instructions, the AVX512 optimized library is auto-selected at application startup.

Security
Security enabled from the Cloud to the Edge, to the End DeviceClear Linux OS has an automated tool that constantly scans for Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs), which are patched accordingly.
- Aggressive mitigation policy: Addresses high & critical level threats from the National Vulnerability Database.
- Provides a common place for Certificate Authority Management: Packages point to one location to find certs, ensuring you can manage your trust policy consistently.
- Enables industry standard security features including: IPTables, SSH, OpenSSL, IPSec VPN, Signed Update Content.
Customization & manageability
Clear Linux OS employs the stateless concept
This strict separation between user and system files allows for easier manageability and simplifying customization.
Mixer is the tool used by the Clear Linux* OS team to generate official update content and releases. The update content generated by mixer is then consumed by swupd on a downstream client. The same mixer tool is available as part of Clear Linux OS to create your own customized update content and releases.
Efficient updates
Clear Linux OS dependencies are resolved at build time and delta updates are designed to be proportional to the change. This keeps updates fast and lightweight.