Extensions Reference¶

Alphabetical reference of all official Armbian build framework extensions. Extensions live in the extensions/ directory of the build repository.

To enable one or more extensions:

Bash
./compile.sh BOARD=... BRANCH=... ENABLE_EXTENSIONS="ext-name,another-ext"

Extensions with dedicated documentation pages are linked below. All others are documented by a short description and key parameters.

allwinner-kernel-bump¶

Bumps the kernel version for Allwinner-based boards.

amlogic-fip-blobs¶

Fetches Amlogic FIP (Firmware Image Package) blobs needed for bootloader assembly on Amlogic SoCs.

apa¶

Enables Armbian Package Archive (APA) in the target image by default.

arm64-compat-vdso¶

Enables 32-bit compat vDSO for arm64 kernels. Requires a 32-bit ARM cross-compiler for GCC builds (gcc-arm-linux-gnueabi or custom CROSS_COMPILE_COMPAT). For clang builds uses the built-in LLVM backend.

armbian-config¶

Installs armbian-config from the Armbian GitHub repository into the image.

armbian-live-patch¶

Installs the Armbian Live Patch systemd service into the BSP package.

bcmdhd¶

Builds the Broadcom BCM WiFi (bcmdhd) driver as a DKMS kernel module. Requires working kernel headers.

bcmdhd-spacemit¶

Builds the Broadcom BCM WiFi driver for SpacemiT platforms as a DKMS kernel module.

bluetooth-hciattach¶

Sets up Bluetooth via hciattach for boards that require serial attachment.

brostrend-aic8800-dkms¶

Installs the AIC8800 WiFi/BT DKMS driver for BroStrend USB adapters. Fetches the latest aic8800-dkms release from Shadowrom2020/aic8800-dkms GitHub and builds the kernel module in the chroot. Forces INSTALL_HEADERS=yes — requires a kernel with working headers package.

c-plus-plus-compiler¶

Adds a C++ compiler to host build dependencies. The C++ compiler is no longer included by default; enable this extension when the build requires it.

ccache-remote¶

Enables ccache with a remote storage backend (Redis or HTTP/WebDAV) for sharing the compilation cache across multiple build hosts. Requires ccache 4.4+.

See: ccache-remote extension

cleanup-space-final-image¶

Runs zerofree and cleans APT caches in the final image to reduce disk footprint.

cloud-init¶

Installs and configures cloud-init in the target image.

detect-unused-extensions¶

Developer/testing extension: a hook honeypot used to verify the extension framework works correctly.

fake-vcgencmd¶

Installs a fake vcgencmd stub for Raspberry Pi software compatibility on non-Pi boards.

fs-btrfs-support¶

Adds Btrfs filesystem support: host build tools and image packages. Auto-enabled when ROOTFS_TYPE=btrfs.

fs-cryptroot-support¶

Adds LUKS/cryptroot support. Auto-enabled when CRYPTROOT_ENABLE=yes.

fs-f2fs-support¶

Adds F2FS filesystem support. Auto-enabled when ROOTFS_TYPE=f2fs.

fs-nilfs2-support¶

Adds NILFS2 filesystem support. Auto-enabled when ROOTFS_TYPE=nilfs2.

fs-xfs-support¶

Adds XFS filesystem support. Auto-enabled when ROOTFS_TYPE=xfs.

gateway-dk-ask¶

NXP ASK (Application Solutions Kit) integration for the Mono Gateway Development Kit (LS1046A). Builds ASK kernel modules (CDX, FCI, auto-bridge, sfp-led, lp5812) in-tree with the kernel and packages userspace tools (fmlib, fmc, libfci, libcli, dpa-app, cmm) plus patched system libraries and configs into a single .deb. Requires iptables at runtime.

gen-sample-extension-docs¶

Generates extension hook documentation and a sample extension file. Useful for extension developers.

grub¶

Standard GRUB bootloader setup for UEFI-capable boards. Supports DISTRO_GENERIC_KERNEL mode (uses distro kernel instead of Armbian’s). Sets GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX=text to keep the framebuffer console bound to fbcon (prevents a black local console after Plymouth quits on CLI installs), passes splash plymouth.ignore-serial-consoles so kernel boot messages remain visible while Plymouth draws the splash on the framebuffer. Deliberately omits quiet and loglevel=3, and disables Ubuntu’s vt.handoff=7 injection.

grub-riscv64¶

GRUB bootloader setup for RISC-V 64-bit boards. Mirrors the console/splash cmdline conventions of the grub extension.

grub-with-dtb¶

GRUB with device tree blob (DTB) embedding support.

gxlimg¶

Builds the gxlimg tool used for creating Amlogic bootable images.

image-output-abl¶

Converts the output image to ABL (Android Boot Loader) format using mkbootimg.

image-output-arduino¶

Converts the Armbian image into a QDL-flashable archive for Arduino UNO Q (Qualcomm QRB2210). Fetches Qualcomm flash binaries during image creation.

image-output-oowow¶

Creates an image compatible with the OOWOW recovery system for Khadas boards.

image-output-ovf¶

Produces an OVF (Open Virtualization Format) archive for use in VMware and other hypervisors. Depends on image-output-qcow2.

image-output-qcow2¶

Produces a qcow2 image suitable for QEMU/KVM virtualization.

image-output-utm¶

Produces a UTM-compatible image for macOS virtualization. Depends on image-output-qcow2.

image-output-vhd-azure¶

Produces a VHD image for use with Microsoft Azure.

image-output-vhdx¶

Produces a VHDX image. Depends on image-output-qcow2.

initramfs-usb-gadget-ums¶

Adds USB Mass Storage (UMS) gadget support to the initramfs, allowing the board to expose its storage over USB.

jethub-burn¶

Automatically converts the Armbian .img into a JetHub burn image after the main build.

kernel-rust¶

Enables Rust language support in the Linux kernel (CONFIG_RUST). Installs a rustup-managed toolchain into ${SRC}/cache/tools/rustup/ and configures all required make parameters.

See: kernel-rust extension

kernel-version-toolchain¶

Adds the compiler name and version (e.g. gcc13.3, clang20.1) to the kernel artifact version string, ensuring cache invalidation when the toolchain changes.

Variables: none (auto-detects from KERNEL_COMPILER).

lowmem¶

Applies Armbian optimizations for low-memory boards (reduced parallelism, swap configuration, etc.).

lsmod¶

Applies localmodconfig based on an lsmod output file to build a minimal kernel. Place the lsmod file in userpatches/lsmod/<board>.lsmod. Variable: LSMOD (defaults to $BOARD).

lvm¶

Adds LVM (Logical Volume Manager) support to the image.

marvell-tools¶

Fetches Marvell Armada A3700 build tools, DDR library, and binary blobs needed for bootloader assembly.

mesa-vpu¶

Installs Mesa 3D and VPU/Chromium acceleration packages. On Ubuntu: full 3D + 4K VPU. On Debian: 3D only.

mtkflash¶

Adds MediaTek device flashing tool support to the build.

net-chrony¶

Installs the chrony NTP daemon for network time synchronization.

net-network-manager¶

Installs NetworkManager and Netplan for network interface management.

net-systemd-networkd¶

Installs systemd-networkd and Netplan for network interface management.

net-systemd-timesyncd¶

Installs systemd-timesyncd for network time synchronization.

nicod-armbian-gaming¶

Gaming-oriented Armbian image configuration.

nomod¶

Builds the kernel with all modules disabled (localmodconfig with empty lsmod). Produces a non-working kernel — intended for rapid kernel build/packaging tests only.

nvidia¶

Builds the Nvidia proprietary kernel module via DKMS. Not available in minimal images.

odin2-preset-firstrun¶

Applies preset first-run configuration specific to the Odin2 gaming device.

photonicat-pm¶

Installs the photonicat-pm DKMS power-management driver for the Ariaboard Photonicat router. Fetches the latest release from HackingGate/photonicat-pm GitHub and builds the kernel module in chroot. Skipped on kernels ≥ 6.20. Requires working kernel headers.

preset-firstrun¶

Applies preset network and first-run configuration to the image (writes .not_logged_in_yet).

radxa-aic8800¶

Builds the Radxa AIC8800 WiFi driver as a DKMS kernel module. Requires working kernel headers.

rkbin-tools¶

Fetches Rockchip binary tools (rkbin) from the configured git repository. Variables: RKBIN_GIT_URL, RKBIN_GIT_BRANCH.

rkdevflash¶

Adds Rockchip device flashing tool support to the build.

sunxi-tools¶

Adds a 32-bit ARM cross-compiler to host dependencies for Allwinner (sunxi) builds. Only required outside Docker.

syterkit-allwinner¶

Writes the SyterKit bootloader image to the appropriate offset in the Allwinner output image.

ti-debpkgs¶

Installs Texas Instruments packages from the official TI Debian package repository.

Configures the U-Boot boot menu for boards that support it.

uboot-binman-fix-pkg-resources¶

Patches U-Boot’s binman tool to use importlib.resources instead of pkg_resources, restoring build compatibility on hosts with setuptools >= 82 (which removed pkg_resources). Covers U-Boot v2024.x–v2025.04.

uboot-btrfs¶

Enables Btrfs filesystem support in U-Boot (CONFIG_CMD_BTRFS).

uefi-edk2-rk3588¶

Integrates UEFI EDK2 firmware for Rockchip RK3588 boards.

ufs¶

Creates a UFS-sector-aligned image. Requires Debian Trixie (13) or newer as the build host. Set DOCKER_ARMBIAN_BASE_IMAGE=debian:trixie when building in Docker.

uwe5622-allwinner¶

Builds the UWE5622 WiFi driver for Allwinner-based boards.

v4l2loopback-dkms¶

Builds the v4l2loopback virtual camera kernel module via DKMS. Not available in minimal images.

vmware-vm¶

Creates a VMware-compatible image (VMDK + OVF) with VMware tools installed. Depends on image-output-ovf.

wayland-sessions-mask¶

Masks Wayland desktop session entries for boards with limited or unstable Wayland support.

watchdog¶

Installs the watchdog daemon and enables CONFIG_WATCHDOG / hardware watchdog device support in the kernel.

xorg-lima-serverflags¶

Configures X.Org server flags for the Lima open-source GPU driver.

yt6801¶

Builds the Motorcomm YT6801 Ethernet controller driver as a DKMS kernel module. Requires working kernel headers.

zfs¶

Builds ZFS kernel module and userspace tools via DKMS. Requires working kernel headers.