Armbian requires the latest UEFI firmware for this board available here: https://forum.radxa.com/t/radxa-dragon-q6a-firmware-snapshot/
For flashing the (extracted) armbian image to UFS storage you can use the same edl-ng tool from flashing the firmware with this command:
./edl-ng --loader prog_firehose_ddr.elf --memory UFS write-sector 0 *.img
Fast, verified download & flash (recommended)
Armbian Imager is a lightweight, native flashing tool that supports both selecting and downloading an Armbian image before flashing, as well as flashing an already downloaded image.
Different images? Missing features? -> Download SDK Looking for compatible accessories? Want to participate in development?
Bleeding edge images with Armbian Linux v6.18
Build Date: Jan 7, 2026
| Distro | Variant | Extensions | Torrent | Integrity | Size | |||||
 Ubuntu 24.04 (Noble) |
Gnome |  |
SHA | ASC | 1.8 GB | |||||
| Ubuntu 24.04 (Noble) |
Minimal / IOT | |
SHA | ASC | 864.9 MB | |||||
| Ubuntu 24.04 (Noble) |
XFCE | |
SHA | ASC | 1.9 GB | |||||
 Debian 13 (Trixie) |
Minimal / IOT | |
SHA | ASC | 883 MB | |||||
| * Edge kernels are actively developed, so there may be some unreported issues on this images. You should beware of that. | * Most of images are tested with test automation or by Armbian community or official maintainers. | |||||||||
Specifications
* Specifications differ from hardware revision, model and software support level
FAQs
- check previous images from archive
- join community forums
Simple
BASH or ZSH shell, standard Debian/Ubuntu utilities. Features can be adjusted with menu-driven utility. Login is possible via serial, HDMI or SSH.
Universal
Minimal, server or Desktop. We work with XFCE, Gnome and Cinnamon but more is possible to build: Mate, KDE, Budgie, Deepin, i3, …
Light
No bloatware or spyware. Special utilities are completely optional. Suitable for newcomers and professionals.
Optimized
Distributed images are optimized for flash media (SD/eMMC/SSD) and compacted to real data size.
Fast
Armbian is optimized on kernel and userspace level. ZRAM & ZSWAP support, browser profile memory caching, garbage commit delay.
Secure
Security level can be adjusted with the armbian-config. OS is reviewed by professionals within the community.
Supported
Maintainers and community have deep understanding how HW work. We are seniors with 30+ years of experience in Linux + embedded Linux.
Open
Armbian provides open source build framework to build a distribution of optimised Linux hardware interface for armhf, aarch64 and x86.
We provide a selection of images that fits hardware best. If you need different image – use build framework and make whatever you need. Build framework relies on Debian and Ubuntu packages – you can build any combination – stable, old stable or rolling release.
Minimal images have very small footprint. They come only with essential packages and build-in systemd-networkd while CLI server images have Network Manager based networking, armbian-config utilities, option to select ZSH as default shell.
Make sure you have a good & reliable boot media (SD card / USB key) and a proper power supply. Archives can be flashed with Etcher (all OS) directly.
Insert the SD card into the slot, connect a cable to your network if possible or a display and power your board. (First) boot (with DHCP) takes a bit longer.
Support is provided in one of two ways:
- Free support is provided via general project search engine, documentation, community forums or IRC/Discord. Keep in mind this is mostly provided by our awesome community members in a best effort manner and therefore there are no guaranteed solutions.
- For commercial or prioritised assistance:
- book a an hour of professional consultation,
- consider becoming a project partner.
- Reach us out at https://armbian.com/contact,
Rolling releases images with Armbian Linux v6.18
Build Date: Jan 7, 2026
| Distro | Variant | User space | Kernel | Torrent | Integrity | Size | |
| Debian 14 (Forky) |
Minimal / IOT | rolling | 6.18.3 | | SHA | ASC | 882.9 MB |
| Ubuntu 25.04 (Plucky) |
Minimal / IOT | rolling | 6.18.3 | | SHA | ASC | 869.1 MB |
* The torrent option is recommended, as it will likely maximize your download connection speed.
Rolling releases are suitable for Linux enthusiasts who want cutting edge packages and have the skills to fix damage that a bad update might cause. If you want stability in a production environment or low headaches as a novice user, skip rolling releases.
They are only at, build and ship, Debian testing / Arch / Manjaro / Suse Tumbleweed / Kali / Gentoo support quality level!