{"slug": "refind", "name": "rEFInd", "category": "other", "category_name": "Other software", "description": "", "recommenders": 5, "commenters": 6, "warners": 0, "score": 4.64, "rising": -1.64, "first": "2025-12-20", "latest": "2026-05-07", "why": "I'm using rEFInd because it can load and use the NVMe EFI driver unlike GRUB and systemd-boot.", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 5, "neutral": 1, "compare": 0, "warn": 0}, "spark": [0, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 3, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "I'm using rEFInd because it can load and use the NVMe EFI driver unlike GRUB and systemd-boot.", "kind": "", "icon": false, "domain": "rodsbooks.com", "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://www.rodsbooks.com/refind/", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["rEFInd"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 768796624, "item_id": 48049789, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48049789", "by": "ciupicri", "date": "2026-05-07", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I'm using rEFInd because it can load and use the NVMe EFI driver unlike GRUB and systemd-boot.", "excerpt": "I'm using rEFInd because it can load and use the NVMe EFI driver unlike GRUB and systemd-boot. rEFInd is a true UEFI boot loader. I think that Fedora doesn't know to update its configuration when I install or remove a kernel, so I use rEFInd only to run systemd-boot which is pretty well supported by Fedora. I could probably try letting rEFInd scan the boot partition for kernels or modify/tune kernel-install [1], but ", "context": "Fedora user", "use_case": "UEFI boot loader", "switched_from": "", "story": "Diskless Linux boot using ZFS, iSCSI and PXE"}, {"id": 760351105, "item_id": 47521944, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47521944", "by": "unixhero", "date": "2026-03-25", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "The only boot loader on uefi I like is refind", "excerpt": "Grub does suck yes. The only boot loader on uefi I like is refind https://www.rodsbooks.com/refind/", "context": "", "use_case": "UEFI boot manager", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ubuntu wants to strip some of GRUB features in 26.10 for security purposes"}, {"id": 741439920, "item_id": 46339995, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46339995", "by": "hulitu", "date": "2025-12-20", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use refind and it seems to be HW independent.", "excerpt": "> Go-boot: bare metal Go UEFI boot manager The bare metal list is quiet thin. Why is so HW focused ? I use refind and it seems to be HW independent.", "context": "", "use_case": "boot manager", "switched_from": "", "story": "Go-boot: bare metal Go UEFI boot manager"}]}], "caveats": [], "who": [{"by": "ciupicri", "context": "Fedora user", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48049789", "date": "2026-05-07"}], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["uefi boot loader", "uefi boot manager", "boot manager"], "compared": [{"slug": "grub", "name": "GRUB", "co": 5, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "systemd-boot", "name": "systemd-boot", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48045012", "title": "Diskless Linux boot using ZFS, iSCSI and PXE", "mentions": 4}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47517885", "title": "Ubuntu wants to strip some of GRUB features in 26.10 for security purposes", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46307382", "title": "Go-boot: bare metal Go UEFI boot manager", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-01": {}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {"recommend": 3, "neutral": 1}, "2026-06": {}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {}, "2026-10": {}}, "versions": [], "version_unnamed": 0, "family_ref": null, "runs_on": null, "lines": [], "quotes": [{"id": 768821008, "item_id": 48051313, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48051313", "by": "nikisweeting", "date": "2026-05-07", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "", "excerpt": "Or even better: https://zfsbootmenu.org/", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Diskless Linux boot using ZFS, iSCSI and PXE"}, {"id": 768798322, "item_id": 48049895, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48049895", "by": "stirfish", "date": "2026-05-07", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I'll check out rEFINd.", "excerpt": "Back when the earth was still cooling, I remember having to choose between grub and lilo. Who wants a little worm in their computer? I went with Lilo. Now I use grub, because I don't know much better. I'll check out rEFINd.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Diskless Linux boot using ZFS, iSCSI and PXE"}, {"id": 768796624, "item_id": 48049789, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48049789", "by": "ciupicri", "date": "2026-05-07", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I'm using rEFInd because it can load and use the NVMe EFI driver unlike GRUB and systemd-boot.", "excerpt": "I'm using rEFInd because it can load and use the NVMe EFI driver unlike GRUB and systemd-boot. rEFInd is a true UEFI boot loader. I think that Fedora doesn't know to update its configuration when I install or remove a kernel, so I use rEFInd only to run systemd-boot which is pretty well supported by Fedora. I could probably try letting rEFInd scan the boot partition for kernels or modify/tune kernel-install [1], but ", "context": "Fedora user", "use_case": "UEFI boot loader", "switched_from": "", "story": "Diskless Linux boot using ZFS, iSCSI and PXE"}, {"id": 768755409, "item_id": 48047213, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48047213", "by": "DaSHacka", "date": "2026-05-07", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "", "excerpt": "There's also systemd-boot, which seems to be getting more popular. https://systemd.io/BOOT/", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Diskless Linux boot using ZFS, iSCSI and PXE"}, {"id": 760351105, "item_id": 47521944, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47521944", "by": "unixhero", "date": "2026-03-25", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "The only boot loader on uefi I like is refind", "excerpt": "Grub does suck yes. The only boot loader on uefi I like is refind https://www.rodsbooks.com/refind/", "context": "", "use_case": "UEFI boot manager", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ubuntu wants to strip some of GRUB features in 26.10 for security purposes"}, {"id": 741439920, "item_id": 46339995, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46339995", "by": "hulitu", "date": "2025-12-20", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use refind and it seems to be HW independent.", "excerpt": "> Go-boot: bare metal Go UEFI boot manager The bare metal list is quiet thin. Why is so HW focused ? I use refind and it seems to be HW independent.", "context": "", "use_case": "boot manager", "switched_from": "", "story": "Go-boot: bare metal Go UEFI boot manager"}]}