The mentioned minimalism is one of the special features of Arch Linux. The distribution waives many graphical tools, and also uses an unmodified source code (well, as far as possible) for the included software. In addition, Arch Linux is based on Linux from Scratch. The distribution itself provides only a few tools, but offers many possibilities. Both free and commercial applications can be installed and used easily and without restrictions.
This also means that Arch Linux is suitable for a wide range of different application purposes. From a lean server structure to a fully equipped desktop, everything is possible. Another special feature is how up to date it is, which is guaranteed by the rolling release principle. Even extensive changes are implemented in the packages within a few weeks. The dedicated community provides numerous documentations for a variety of different application purposes.
Another special feature is Pacman, a package manager specially developed for Arch Linux. This can automatically download packages from the Arch repositories, install, update, and remove them if necessary. This also applies to the handling of local sources.