mirror of
https://github.com/linuxkit/linuxkit.git
synced 2025-11-04 08:25:51 +00:00
89c642eac1
This covers the base docs; I also did a bunch of cleanup and remove old docs that are no longer needed. Signed-off-by: Justin Cormack <justin.cormack@docker.com>
101 lines
4.9 KiB
Markdown
101 lines
4.9 KiB
Markdown
# LinuxKit
|
|
|
|
LinuxKit, a toolkit for building custom minimal, immutable Linux distributions.
|
|
|
|
- Secure defaults without compromising usability
|
|
- Everything is replaceable and customisable
|
|
- Immutable infrastructure applied to building Linux distributions
|
|
- Completely stateless, but persistent storage can be attached
|
|
- Easy tooling, with easy iteration
|
|
- Built with containers, for running containers
|
|
- Designed for building and running clustered applications, including but not limited to container orchestration such as Docker or Kubernetes
|
|
- Designed from the experience of building Docker Editions, but redesigned as a general purpose toolkit
|
|
- Designed to be managed by external tooling, such as [Infrakit](https://github.com/docker/infrakit) or similar tools
|
|
- Includes a set of longer term collaborative projects in various stages of development to innovate on kernel and userspace changes, particularly around security
|
|
|
|
## Getting Started
|
|
|
|
### Build the `moby` tool
|
|
|
|
Simple build instructions: use `make` to build. This will build the customisation tool in `bin/`. Add this
|
|
to your `PATH` or copy it to somewhere in your `PATH` eg `sudo cp bin/moby /usr/local/bin/`.
|
|
|
|
If you already have `go` installed you can use `go get -u github.com/docker/moby/src/cmd/moby` to install
|
|
the `moby` tool, and then use `moby build linuxkit.yml` to build the example configuration. You
|
|
can use `go get -u github.com/docker/moby/src/cmd/infrakit-instance-hyperkit` to get the
|
|
hyperkit infrakit tool.
|
|
|
|
Once you have built the tool, use `moby build linuxkit.yml` to build the example configuration,
|
|
and `bin/moby run linuxkit` to run locally. Use `halt` to terminate on the console.
|
|
|
|
Build requirements:
|
|
- GNU `make`
|
|
- GNU or BSD `tar` (not `busybox` `tar`)
|
|
- Docker
|
|
|
|
### Booting and Testing
|
|
|
|
You can use `moby run <name>` to execute the image you created with `moby build <name>.yml`.
|
|
This will use a suitable backend for your platform or you can choose one, for example VMWare.
|
|
See `moby run --help`.
|
|
|
|
Some platforms do not yet have `moby run` support, so you can use `./scripts/qemu.sh moby-initrd.img moby-bzImage moby-cmdline`
|
|
or `./scripts/qemu.sh mobylinux-bios.iso` which runs qemu in a Docker container.
|
|
|
|
`make test` or `make test-hyperkit` will run the test suite
|
|
|
|
There are also docs for booting on [Google Cloud](docs/gcp.md); `./bin/moby run --gcp <name>.yml` should
|
|
work if you specified a GCP image to be built in the config.
|
|
|
|
More detailed docs will be available shortly, for running both single hosts and clusters.
|
|
|
|
## Building your own customised image
|
|
|
|
To customise, copy or modify the [`linuxkit.yml`](linuxkit.yml) to your own `file.yml` or use one of the [examples](examples/) and then run `moby build file.yml` to
|
|
generate its specified output. You can run the output with `moby run file`.
|
|
|
|
The yaml file specifies a kernel and base init system, a set of containers that are built into the generated image and started at boot time. It also specifies what
|
|
formats to output, such as bootable ISOs and images for various platforms.
|
|
|
|
### Yaml Specification
|
|
|
|
The yaml format specifies the image to be built:
|
|
|
|
- `kernel` specifies a kernel Docker image, containing a kernel and a filesystem tarball, eg containing modules. The example kernels are built from `kernel/`
|
|
- `init` is the base `init` process Docker image, which is unpacked as the base system, containing `init`, `containerd`, `runc` and a few tools. Built from `pkg/init/`
|
|
- `onboot` are the system containers, executed sequentially in order. They should terminate quickly when done.
|
|
- `services` is the system services, which normally run for the whole time the system is up
|
|
- `files` are additional files to add to the image
|
|
- `outputs` are descriptions of what to build, such as ISOs.
|
|
|
|
For a more detailed overview of the options see [yaml documentation](docs/yaml.md).
|
|
|
|
## Architecture and security
|
|
|
|
There is an [overview of the architecture](docs/architecture.md) covering how the system works.
|
|
|
|
There is an [overview of the security considerations and direction](docs/security.md) covering the security design of the system.
|
|
|
|
## Roadmap
|
|
|
|
This project was extensively reworked from the code we are shipping in Docker Editions, and the result is not yet production quality. The plan is to return to production
|
|
quality during Q2 2017, and rebase the Docker Editions on this open source project.
|
|
|
|
This is an open project without fixed judgements, open to the community to set the direction. The guiding principles are:
|
|
- Security informs design
|
|
- Infrastructure as code: immutable, manageable with code
|
|
- Sensible secure and well tested defaults
|
|
- An open, pluggable platform for diverse use cases
|
|
- Easy to use and participate in the project
|
|
- Built with containers, for portability and reproducibility
|
|
- Run with system containers, for isolation and extensibility
|
|
- A base for robust products
|
|
|
|
## Development reports
|
|
|
|
There are weekly [development reports](reports/) summarizing work carried out in the week.
|
|
|
|
## FAQ
|
|
|
|
See [FAQ](docs/faq.md).
|