build

Armbian Linux build framework generates custom Debian or Ubuntu image for x86, aarch64, riscv64 & armhf

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buildroot

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Buildroot, making embedded Linux easy. Note that this is not the official repository, but only a mirror. The official Git repository is at https://gitlab.com/buildroot.org/buildroot/. Do not open issues or file pull requests here.

openwrt

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This repository is a mirror of https://git.openwrt.org/openwrt/openwrt.git It is for reference only and is not active for check-ins. We will continue to accept Pull Requests here. They will be merged via staging trees then into openwrt.git.

nerves

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Craft and deploy bulletproof embedded software in Elixir

Quick Overview

Armbian/build is an open-source project that provides a build framework for creating custom Linux distributions for various ARM-based single-board computers (SBCs). It allows users to generate tailored operating systems for a wide range of ARM devices, including popular boards like Raspberry Pi, Orange Pi, and many others.

Pros

Supports a wide variety of ARM-based devices
Highly customizable, allowing users to create tailored distributions
Active community and regular updates
Comprehensive documentation and user guides

Cons

Steep learning curve for beginners
Build process can be time-consuming and resource-intensive
Some devices may have limited support or require additional configuration
Requires Linux environment for building (not natively supported on Windows or macOS)

Getting Started

To get started with Armbian/build:

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/armbian/build.git

Install dependencies (Ubuntu/Debian example):

sudo apt-get install -y build-essential bc bison flex libssl-dev python3 swig

Configure your build:
```
cd build
./compile.sh
```
Follow the interactive prompts to select your target board and desired options.
Wait for the build process to complete. The resulting image will be in the output/images directory.

For more detailed instructions and advanced usage, refer to the official documentation at https://docs.armbian.com/.

Competitor Comparisons

buildroot

2,922

Pros of Buildroot

More flexible and customizable for a wider range of embedded systems
Supports a larger number of architectures and platforms
Extensive documentation and active community support

Cons of Buildroot

Steeper learning curve for beginners
Longer build times for complex configurations
Less focus on specific single-board computers (SBCs)

Code Comparison

Armbian build script example:

compile_uboot() {
    local uboot_dir="$SRC/u-boot"
    cd "${uboot_dir}" || exit_with_error "Cannot change directory to u-boot"
    make ARCH=arm CROSS_COMPILE="$CCACHE $UBOOT_COMPILER" "$UBOOT_TARGET" -j${NCPU}
}

Buildroot Makefile example:

define UBOOT_BUILD_CMDS
    $(TARGET_MAKE_ENV) $(MAKE) -C $(@D) $(UBOOT_MAKE_OPTS)
endef

Both projects use build scripts, but Buildroot's approach is more generalized and integrated into its build system, while Armbian's scripts are more specific to its supported platforms.

openwrt

22,214

Pros of OpenWrt

More focused on networking and router-specific features
Larger community and ecosystem of packages
Better support for a wide range of network devices

Cons of OpenWrt

Steeper learning curve for non-networking enthusiasts
Less flexible for general-purpose computing tasks
More complex build system for custom images

Code Comparison

OpenWrt (Makefile):

include $(TOPDIR)/rules.mk

PKG_NAME:=example
PKG_VERSION:=1.0
PKG_RELEASE:=1

include $(INCLUDE_DIR)/package.mk

define Package/example
  SECTION:=utils
  CATEGORY:=Utilities
  TITLE:=Example package
endef

define Package/example/install
    $(INSTALL_DIR) $(1)/usr/bin
    $(INSTALL_BIN) $(PKG_BUILD_DIR)/example $(1)/usr/bin/
endef

$(eval $(call BuildPackage,example))

Armbian (build.sh):

#!/bin/bash
set -e

# build
compile_uboot
compile_kernel
compile_rootfs

# create image
create_image

# cleanup
cleanup

Both projects use different build systems and approaches, reflecting their distinct focuses on networking (OpenWrt) and general-purpose Linux distributions (Armbian).

nerves

2,322

Craft and deploy bulletproof embedded software in Elixir

Pros of Nerves

Focused on embedded systems and IoT applications, providing a more specialized environment
Utilizes Elixir, offering functional programming benefits and concurrency features
Streamlined firmware creation and OTA updates for embedded devices

Cons of Nerves

Limited to Elixir ecosystem, potentially restricting language choices
Steeper learning curve for developers not familiar with Elixir or functional programming
Smaller community compared to Armbian, potentially resulting in fewer resources and support options

Code Comparison

Nerves (mix.exs):

def deps do
  [
    {:nerves, "~> 1.7", runtime: false},
    {:nerves_system_rpi3, "~> 1.13", runtime: false, targets: :rpi3}
  ]
end

Armbian (build-all.sh):

for board in "${BOARD[@]}"; do
  ./compile.sh BOARD="$board" BRANCH="$BRANCH" RELEASE="$RELEASE" \
    BUILD_MINIMAL="yes" BUILD_DESKTOP="no" KERNEL_ONLY="no" \
    KERNEL_CONFIGURE="no" COMPRESS_OUTPUTIMAGE="sha,gpg,7z"
done

The Nerves code snippet shows dependency management for a Nerves project, while the Armbian code demonstrates a build script for compiling multiple board configurations.

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README

Armbian Linux Build Framework

What does this project do?

Builds custom kernel, image or a distribution optimized for low-resource hardware,
Include filesystem generation, low-level control software, kernel image and bootloader compilation,
Provides a consistent user experience by keeping system standards across different platforms.

Getting started

Requirements for self hosted

x86_64 / aarch64 machine
at least 2GB of memory and ~35GB of disk space for VM, container or bare metal installation
Armbian / Ubuntu Jammy 22.04.x for native building or any Docker capable Linux for containerised
Windows 10/11 with WSL2 subsystem running Ubuntu Jammy 22.04.x
Superuser rights (configured sudo or root access).
Make sure your system is up-to-date! Outdated Docker binaries, for example, can cause trouble.

For stable branch use --branch=v25.02

apt-get -y install git
git clone --depth=1 --branch=main https://github.com/armbian/build
cd build
./compile.sh

Interactive graphical interface.
Prepares the workspace by installing the necessary dependencies and sources.
It guides the entire process and creates a kernel package or a ready-to-use SD card image.

Build parameter examples

Show work-in-progress areas in interactive mode:

./compile.sh EXPERT="yes"

Build minimal CLI Armbian Jammy for Bananapi M5 with LTS kernel:

./compile.sh \
BOARD=bananapim5 \
BRANCH=current \
RELEASE=jammy \
BUILD_MINIMAL=yes \
BUILD_DESKTOP=no \
KERNEL_CONFIGURE=no

Build with GitHub actions: (advanced version)

name: "Build Armbian"
on:
  workflow_dispatch:
jobs:
  build-armbian:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: armbian/build@main
        with:
          armbian_token:     "${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}"  # GitHub token
          armbian_release:   "jammy"                        # userspace
          armbian_target:    "build"                        # build=image, kernel=kernel
          armbian_board:     "bananapim5"                   # build target

Generated image will be uploaded to your repository release. Note: GitHub upload file limit is 2Gb.

More information:

Building Armbian (how to start)
Build commands and switches (build options)
User configuration (how to add packages, patches, and override sources config)
System config (menu driven utility to setup OS and HW features)

Download prebuilt images releases

Point

manually released standard supported builds (quarterly)

Rolling

Compared with industry standards

Expand

Check similarities, advantages and disadvantages compared with leading industry standard build software.

Function	Armbian	Yocto	Buildroot
Target	general purpose	embedded	embedded / IOT
U-boot and kernel	compiled from sources	compiled from sources	compiled from sources
Board support maintenance	complete	outside	outside
Root file system	Debian or Ubuntu based	custom	custom
Package manager	APT	any	none
Configurability	limited	large	large
Initramfs support	yes	yes	yes
Getting started	quick	very slow	slow
Cross compilation	yes	yes	yes

Project structure

Expand

âââ cache                                Work / cache directory
âÂ Â  âââ aptcache                         Packages
âÂ Â  âââ ccache                           C/C++ compiler
âÂ Â  âââ docker                           Docker last pull
âÂ Â  âââ git-bare                         Minimal Git
âÂ Â  âââ git-bundles                      Full Git
âÂ Â  âââ initrd                           Ram disk
âÂ Â  âââ memoize                          Git status
âÂ Â  âââ patch                            Kernel drivers patch
âÂ Â  âââ pip                              Python
âÂ Â  âââ rootfs                           Compressed userspaces
âÂ Â  âââ sources                          Kernel, u-boot and other sources
âÂ Â  âââ tools                            Additional tools like ORAS
âÂ Â  âââ utility
âââ config                               Packages repository configurations
âÂ Â  âââ targets.conf                     Board build target configuration
âÂ Â  âââ boards                           Board configurations
âÂ Â  âââ bootenv                          Initial boot loaders environments per family
âÂ Â  âââ bootscripts                      Initial Boot loaders scripts per family
âÂ Â  âââ cli                              CLI packages configurations per distribution
âÂ Â  âââ desktop                          Desktop packages configurations per distribution
âÂ Â  âââ distributions                    Distributions settings
âÂ Â  âââ kernel                           Kernel build configurations per family
âÂ Â  âââ sources                          Kernel and u-boot sources locations and scripts
âÂ Â  âââ templates                        User configuration templates which populate userpatches
âÂ Â  âââ torrents                         External compiler and rootfs cache torrents
âââ extensions                           Extend build system with specific functionality
âââ lib                                  Main build framework libraries
âÂ Â  âââ functions
âÂ Â  âÂ Â  âââ artifacts
âÂ Â  âÂ Â  âââ bsp
âÂ Â  âÂ Â  âââ cli
âÂ Â  âÂ Â  âââ compilation
âÂ Â  âÂ Â  âââ configuration
âÂ Â  âÂ Â  âââ general
âÂ Â  âÂ Â  âââ host
âÂ Â  âÂ Â  âââ image
âÂ Â  âÂ Â  âââ logging
âÂ Â  âÂ Â  âââ main
âÂ Â  âÂ Â  âââ rootfs
âÂ Â  âââ tools
âââ output                               Build artifact
âÂ Â  âââ deb                              Deb packages
âÂ Â  âââ images                           Bootable images - RAW or compressed
âÂ Â  âââ debug                            Patch and build logs
âÂ Â  âââ config                           Kernel configuration export location
âÂ Â  âââ patch                            Created patches location
âââ packages                             Support scripts, binary blobs, packages
âÂ Â  âââ blobs                            Wallpapers, various configs, closed source bootloaders
âÂ Â  âââ bsp-cli                          Automatically added to armbian-bsp-cli package
âÂ Â  âââ bsp-desktop                      Automatically added to armbian-bsp-desktopo package
âÂ Â  âââ bsp                              Scripts and configs overlay for rootfs
âÂ Â  âââ extras-buildpkgs                 Optional compilation and packaging engine
âââ patch                                Collection of patches
âÂ Â  âââ atf                              ARM trusted firmware
âÂ Â  âââ kernel                           Linux kernel patches
|   |Â Â  âââ family-branch                Per kernel family and branch
âÂ Â  âââ misc                             Linux kernel packaging patches
âÂ Â  âââ u-boot                           Universal boot loader patches
|       âââ u-boot-board                 For specific board
|    Â Â  âââ u-boot-family                For entire kernel family
âââ tools                                Tools for dealing with kernel patches and configs
âââ userpatches                          User: configuration patching area
    âââ lib.config                       User: framework common config/override file
    âââ config-default.conf              User: default user config file
    âââ customize-image.sh               User: script will execute just before closing the image
 Â Â  âââ atf                              User: ARM trusted firmware
 Â Â  âââ kernel                           User: Linux kernel per kernel family
 Â Â  âââ misc                             User: various
 Â Â  âââ u-boot                           User: universal boot loader patches

Contribution

Want to help?

We always need those volunteering positions:

Just apply and follow!

Support

For commercial or prioritized assistance:

Book an hour of professional consultation
Consider becoming a project partner
Contact us!

Free support:

Find free support via general project search engine, documentation, community forums or IRC/Discord. Remember that our awesome community members mainly provide this in a best-effort manner, so there are no guaranteed solutions.

Contact

Forums for Participate in Armbian
IRC: #armbian on Libera.chat / oftc.net
Matrix: https://forum.armbian.com/topic/40413-enter-the-matrix/
Discord: https://discord.gg/armbian
Follow @armbian on ð (formerly known as Twitter), Mastodon or LinkedIn.
Bugs: issues / JIRA
Office hours: Wednesday, 12 midday, 18 afternoon, CET

Contributors

Thank you to all the people who already contributed to Armbian!

Also

Current and past contributors, our families and friends.
Support staff that keeps forums usable.
Friends and individuals who support us with resources and their time.
The Armbian Community helps with their ideas, reports and donations.

Armbian Partners

Armbian's partnership program helps to support Armbian and the Armbian community! Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with our Partners:

Star History

License

This software is published under the GPL-2.0 License license.

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