ImageBuilder frontends

This page lists software based on ImageBuilder whose goal is to automate or make it easier to generate OpenWrt images.

For one-shot OpenWrt image generation or light customization, it is probably still best to directly use the ImageBuilder.

Gluon is a modular framework for creating OpenWrt-based firmware images for wireless mesh nodes. Several Freifunk communities in Germany use Gluon as the foundation of their Freifunk firmware.

Documentation: https://gluon.readthedocs.io/en/stable/

This tool creates customized OpenWrt images for the needs of Freifunk Berlin. It builds images directly from the OpenWrt source code to create an Imagebuilder and SDK. The final images are build with the created Imagebuilder or a prebuild Imagbuilder can be used directly.

Code: https://github.com/freifunk-berlin/firmware

Documentation: https://github.com/freifunk-berlin/firmware#development

This project intends to simplify the sysupgrade process of devices running OpenWrt or distributions based on the former like LibreMesh. The provided tools here offer an easy way to reflash the router with a new version or package upgrades, without the need of opkg installed.

Additionally it offers an API (covered below) to request custom images with any selection of packages pre-installed, allowing to create firmware images without the need of setting up a build environment, even from mobile devices.

Flask-based code: https://github.com/aparcar/asu

Javascript interface that allows to create and download an OpenWrt image by connecting to the API of a Attendedsysupgrade server.

Demo: https://sudhanshu16.github.io/openwrt-firmware-selector/

Same idea (javascript app that connects to a Attendedsysupgrade API), but earlier prototype.

Demo:

• https://chef.libremesh.org/
• https://aparcar.stephen304.com/

Buildsystem to generate custom Openwrt-Firmware files for different nodes in a community network.

It uses erb templates on config files per device, evaluated from inherited yaml files. There are two interfaces: command-line (rake) and web (simple Ruby on Rails app).

Code: https://gitlab.com/guifi-exo/temba

Slide of the presentation at Battlemesh v12: https://www.battlemesh.org/BattleMeshV12?action=AttachFile&do=get&target=custom_pseudofirmware_with_OpenWrt_imagebuilder.pdf

Part of Temba, a helper script to build the environment to run the image builder.

Code: https://gitlab.com/guifi-exo/temba/blob/master/imagebuilder.sh

Project by tetaneutral.net, a community ISP in France.

Python program that uses YAML templates to generate images for various devices. No web interface.

Code: https://redmine.tetaneutral.net/projects/git-tetaneutral-net/repository/openwrt-tools

openwrt-auto-extroot can be used to build a custom firmware image that will automatically format and set up extroot on any plugged-in, but not yet setup storage device. The primary audience of this project is developers, who can use it to build customized firmware images for their applications, but advanced users should also be able to build a firmware by just running its build script as-is.

The “LibreMesh software development kit” uses the OpenWRT SDK and ImageBuilder to generate (cook) LibreMesh packages and firmware. If you want to create your own LibreMesh flavor because you need some specific configuration or you just want to have control over your binaries, the cooker is your friend!

Command-line interface, but can also be used with Chef.

Code: https://github.com/libremesh/lime-sdk

Simple wrapper around ImageBuilder, that automatically downloads the right ImageBuilder archive.

Code: https://github.com/aparcar/openwrt-metabuilder

Older initiative, was the basis of Temba: https://github.com/yanosz/mesh_testbed_generator/

Project by Freifunk: meshkit is a webinterface for the OpenWrt image generator. It allows you to build customized OpenWrt firmware images to use on your router/access point. It also offers templates for each Freifunk community.

Demo: http://imagebuilder.augsburg.freifunk.net/meshkit

Relevant links:

• https://wiki.freifunk.net/Freifunk_Firmware/Meshkit
• https://github.com/freifunk/meshkit
• https://github.com/freifunk/meshkit-community_files
• http://doc.meshkit.freifunk.net/daily/html/
• https://wiki.freifunk.net/Freifunk-Firmware/Community-Profile

Not much activity as of 2019?