KNOPPIX是一套光盘或USB闪存盘启动的GNU/Linux系统（LiveCD），功能包括：自动硬件监测、支持常见的显卡、声卡、SCSI和USB设备，以及其它外设。KNOPPIX可用于Linux演示、光盘教学、系统急救，经过适当改造，还可以用于商业软件的产品演示。KNOPPIX采用了特殊的解压缩技术，不需要硬盘安装，一张CD，就容纳了2GB的可执行进程，供用户自由使用。

Knoppix最初由德国工程师Klaus Knopper设计，取名于其姓氏Knopper + Linux，读作“k'nopiks”，重音在no。

Knoppix (/knɒpɪks/ KNOP-iks), often styled KNOPPIX, is an operating system based on Debian designed to be run directly from a CD / DVD (Live CD) or a USB flash drive (Live USB), one of the first of its kind for any operating system. Knoppix was developed by, and named after, Linux consultant Klaus Knopper. When starting a program, it is loaded from the removable medium and decompressed into a RAM drive. The decompression is transparent and on-the-fly.