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XoL: Running X-Plane on Linux

This documentation covers setup and optimization of X-Plane 12 (Laminar Research) under Linux. It is aimed at experienced Linux users — a working installation is assumed. The examples are based on Debian but transfer to other distributions with minor adjustments.

Where to Start

  • Why Linux? Introduction explains what makes X-Plane on Linux different.
  • New to X-Plane on Linux? Getting Started covers system requirements, installation, and first launch.
  • X-Plane already running? Performance explains the three load dimensions (CPU, I/O, network) before diving into System Tuning.

About This Documentation

The core focus is on Linux system tuning — kernel parameters, CPU governor, GPU drivers, display server selection, and filesystem optimization — complemented by performance analysis using both X-Plane's built-in tools and Linux monitoring utilities. Additional sections cover scenery management with orthophoto streaming, flight operations including ATC procedures, and a reference catalog of Linux-compatible addons and plugins. The guides are modular — individual topics can be implemented independently or combined as needed.

Contributing

This documentation is an open project. Improvements or additions can be contributed via GitHub:

  • Create issues for bugs or suggestions
  • Submit pull requests for changes
  • Share experiences in the discussions in the footer of this website (e.g., via the Discord link)

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Recent Changes

2026-08-16

  • The ToLiss Mods are now a section of their own with one page per mod — Easy Freighter and the Carda Realistic Engine Mods included
  • The two wing mods for the ToLiss Airbuses now have pages of their own, Durantula Wing Enhancement MOD and RealWings, instead of two sections on the collective page — each with developer, download and license up front, the full install via the native Linux installer including its non-interactive invocation, and the reason the two are alternatives rather than a stack
  • New page ToLiss Photon: a lighting overhaul for the ToLiss A319, A320, A321 and A330-900 that re-authors every exterior light in the aircraft's OBJ files and hands beacon and strobe flashing to a native plugin — no FlyWithLua and no XPPython3. Halogen, Xenon and LED are switchable in the simulator and saved per livery, and the optional cockpit lighting by Gus Rodrigues comes with it. The page covers the Linux installer: the black-window fallback via console or software rendering, the zenity/kdialog dependency of the folder picker, and why it has to run after the wing mods and again after every ToLiss update

2026-08-12

  • New page AutoHaze: a FlyWithLua script that replaces X-Plane's default haze with turbidity computed from satellite aerosol data, surface weather and the real boundary layer height — because above the METAR visibility cap the simulator has no data left and falls back to a fixed, usually excessive value. Linux support arrived with version 2.4; the page collects the helper-binary specifics, the SSL certificate fix and the log file
  • New page Bay's Lighting Mod: a complete overhaul of airport, night and cockpit lighting including cloud scattering and visibility. The page explains why night lighting and ortho scenery collide — ortho removes the distant baked light layer, which ends the lights abruptly around the aircraft, with or without the mod

2026-08-04

  • Adversarial counter-check of the pages revised on 2026-08-03, with several corrections. Scenery Sources: X-World Pro ships its own Linux installation script, so the manual symlink applies only to the free vegetation library — the previous instruction would have produced a broken Pro install. XPME does document a refund period. Ortho4XP: the "runways follow terrain contours" option disappeared with X-Plane 11, not 12, the Sonny mirror also carries 0.5″ tiles for the Alps, and the forum links now point at the Ortho4XP forum again
  • Smaller precision fixes on the same pages: masking_mode selects a mask algorithm rather than a texture, road_level=1 also includes trunk roads, custom_dem needs GDAL only for non-HGT rasters, and XPAIS Marine Traffic has the complete config and menu, the correct hull fallback and the two design decisions no longer listed as limitations