Aurora OS — Open Your Browser, Boot a Fake OS, Hack Everything Inside It
Aurora OS — Open Your Browser, Boot a Fake OS, Hack Everything Inside ItIt looks like a real OS. It behaves like a real OS. But it’s a game — and your job is to break into it.
A full operating system that runs inside your browser or as a desktop app. It has a terminal, a file system, apps, user accounts, permissions — everything a real OS has. Except it’s all fake. And the entire point is to hack it.
Think of it like a flight simulator, but for hacking. You’re not flying a real plane — you’re learning to fly without crashing a real one. Same idea here: real terminal commands, real file system logic, real permission systems — zero legal risk.*
🧠 What Even Is This? — The Plain English Version
Imagine opening a website and seeing a full desktop — like macOS or Windows — with a dock, windows you can drag around, a file manager, a terminal, a music player, even a photo gallery. It boots up with a login screen. You can create users. You can ls and cd and cat files just like a real Linux machine.
But none of it is real. It’s all running inside your browser tab. The “files” live in your browser’s storage. The “terminal” is a JavaScript simulation. The “users” are virtual.
The twist? The whole thing is designed as a hacking game. The OS is your playground. You explore it, find vulnerabilities, escalate privileges, read other users’ files, and eventually — in future versions — hack into other people’s Aurora OS instances in a multiplayer world.
It’s built with React, Vite, Tailwind, and Electron (for desktop mode). The creator’s long-term vision is a full MMO hacking simulator where thousands of players hack each other’s virtual machines.
Right now it’s in pre-alpha (v0.8.5) — the OS foundation works, the terminal works, apps work. The hacking game mechanics are still being built.
🎮 What Can You Actually Do Right Now
| Feature | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Full desktop environment | Window manager with dragging, snapping, z-ordering — feels like a real OS |
| Working terminal | Bash-like shell with ls, cd, cat, grep, cp, mv, rm, mkdir, touch, sudo, su |
| Virtual filesystem | Real directory structure (/home, /etc, /var) with read/write/execute permissions |
| Multi-user system | Create accounts, switch users, guest mode — each with isolated home directories |
| Finder (file manager) | Browse files, drag and drop, multi-select — just like macOS Finder |
| App Store | Install and launch apps inside the virtual OS |
| Music player | Plays audio files from your virtual ~/Music folder |
| Photos app | Gallery with albums, favorites, lightbox viewer |
| Calendar | Dynamic categories, events, time management |
| Messages | Chat interface simulation |
| TrustMail | Email client sim with account recovery and secret keys |
| 7 languages | English, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Romanian, Chinese |
Key thing: This isn’t a static demo. You can actually type commands, create files, navigate directories, switch users, and break things. The OS responds.
💡 Why This Is a Big Deal — Use Cases That Make Sense
This is one of those projects where the value isn’t obvious until you think about who needs it.
Learning to Hack (Without Going to Jail)
The #1 problem with learning cybersecurity: where do you practice? Real systems are illegal to hack. CTF platforms are great but feel like puzzles, not reality. Aurora OS gives you an entire operating system to explore — with real-feeling permissions, real users, real file structures — but zero consequences.
Who this is for: Anyone curious about cybersecurity, students, self-taught hackers, people prepping for CTF competitions.
Teaching Cybersecurity in Schools
Teachers can set up Aurora OS instances and have students find vulnerabilities, escalate privileges, or recover “stolen” data — all inside a browser. No server setup. No liability. No risk of a student accidentally nuking the school network.
Who this is for: CS teachers, bootcamp instructors, workshop facilitators.
Testing Security Concepts Safely
Want to understand how Linux permissions work? How sudo escalation happens? How file permissions interact with user groups? Aurora OS lets you see it happen in a sandboxed system you can’t break.
Who this is for: Junior devs, sysadmins learning Linux, anyone who learns by breaking things.
Just… Playing a Hacking Game
Not everything needs a practical purpose. Some people play flight simulators because planes are cool. Some people will play Aurora OS because hacking an OS from the inside — finding hidden files, cracking passwords, escalating to root — is genuinely fun.
Who this is for: Gamers, hacking enthusiasts, people who loved Hacknet or Bitburner or Grey Hack.
Building Apps on a Virtual OS
Developers can build apps that run inside Aurora OS. The app engine supports window management, process lifecycle, and a global menu bar. It’s an open platform — think of it like building apps for a fake operating system.
Who this is for: Developers who want to experiment with OS-level app design, indie game devs, creative coders.
🚀 How to Try It — Two Options
Option 1 — Play in browser (instant, zero install):
mental-os.github.io/Aurora-OS.js
Just click and it boots. Works in Chrome, Edge, Brave — any Chromium-based browser.
Option 2 — Run locally (for devs or offline use):
Needs Node.js 24+ installed.
git clone https://github.com/mental-os/Aurora-OS.js.git
cd Aurora-OS.js
npm install
npm run dev
There’s also an Electron build for a standalone desktop app.
GitHub: 🗺️ Where This Is Going — The Roadmap
The current version is the foundation. Here’s the plan:
| Stage | Version | What Happens |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 0 (now) | 0.x.x | Foundation — working OS with real apps and usability |
| Stage 1 | 1.x.x | Single-player hacking game (planned for Steam Early Access) |
| Stage 2 | 2.x.x | Multiplayer hacking world — hack other players’ machines |
The long-term vision: a persistent MMO where every player runs their own Aurora OS instance and the goal is to hack into each other’s systems. Think EVE Online but instead of spaceships, you’re rooting virtual machines.
It’s open-source and looking for contributors — code, design, documentation, ideas. Pre-alpha is the perfect time to shape the direction.
🆚 How It Compares to Similar Games
| Game | What It Is | How Aurora OS Differs |
|---|---|---|
| Hacknet | Story-driven hacking puzzler | Aurora OS is sandbox + open-ended, not scripted missions |
| Bitburner | Programming-heavy hacking idle game | Aurora OS is visual (full desktop), not text-only |
| Grey Hack | Multiplayer hacking sim | Aurora OS runs in browser, no download, open-source |
| Hackmud | Text-based hacking MMO | Aurora OS has a full graphical desktop environment |
| TryHackMe/HackTheBox | CTF platforms with real VMs | Aurora OS is a game first — narrative and exploration, not just challenges |
Quick Hits
| Want | Do |
|---|---|
| Try it right now |
→ Open in browser — zero install, instant boot |
 Learn terminal commands |
→ Open the terminal, start with ls, cd, cat — it works like real Linux |
 Practice hacking safely |
→ Explore the filesystem, find hidden files, try sudo — it’s all sandboxed |
| Contribute to the project |
→ GitHub repo — open-source, actively seeking contributors |
An entire operating system that exists to be hacked. Your browser tab just became a cybersecurity playground.
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