BALENA OS

Run Docker containers on embedded devices

A host OS tailored for containers, designed for reliability, proven in production.
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FEATURES

An Operating System tailored for containers

Tailored for containers
Containers will revolutionize connected devices, and balenaOS is the best way to run them.
Built to last anywhere
Understand when someone views the space and what content.
Just the essentials
A minimal Linux with the services needed to run Docker reliably on an embedded device - nothing else.
Easy to port
Based on Yocto Linux for easy porting to most capable device types across varied CPU architectures.
Fast, modern workflow
Who said embedded software has to be slow and painful to develop?
Open and friendly
Actively developed in the open; community participation warmly welcomed.
FEATURES

An Operating System tailored for containers

In our quest to build balenaCloud, a platform that brings the tools of modern software development to the world of connected hardware, we started by porting Docker to ARM chips in 2013. We soon realised that we also needed an operating system optimized for the use case: a minimal OS ideal for running containers on embedded devices.
BalenaOS supports many different device types, has a robust networking and provisioning story, emphasizes reliability over long periods operation, and enables a productive developer workflow. We’ve been running balenaOS as part of the balenaCloud platform for years and are now releasing it as an independent operating system, so that others can benefit and contribute to running containers on connected devices.
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Add your own board

Learn how to build you very own version of BalenaOS for one of our supported boards.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why Docker containers on embedded devices?
Why Yocto?
How is this different from cloud operating systems for containers?
How is this different from other embedded operating systems?