ath79
ath79 is the successor of ar71xx. It's modernization under the hood, with the main goal to bring the code into a form that is acceptable for Linux upstream, so that all (most) of the whole ar71xx supported devices can be handled by an upstream, unpatched Linux kernel.1)
There might be a slight decrease in kernel image size, but the general bloat of newer versions will likely eat that up completely.
In case your device was previously on the ar71xx target, see Upgrade from ar71xx to ath79 for instructions.
- ath79 status discussion in the OpenWrt forum
- Porting guide ar71xx to ath79 discussion in the OpenWrt forum
ar71xx-ath79 transition
| Release | Target(s) |
|---|---|
| 18.06.x (and earlier) | ar71xx only |
| 19.07.x | ar71xx + ath79 |
| 21.02.x (and later) | ath79 only |