Welcome! Thank you for your interest in contributing to the growing ecosystem of open software. We call the software applications that run on StartOS, "services". This distinction is made to differentiate from applications ("apps"), which are generally run on a client, and used to access server-side software ("services"). To run services on StartOS, a package of file components needs to be composed. This guide will dive into the basic structure of how to compose this package.
Check out the glossary to get acquainted with unfamiliar terms.
Let's get started!
Steps:
- Choose software to package
- Set up the development environment
- Try out the hello-world demo project
- Package the service
- Test the service on StartOS
- Submit and/or distribute
Almost any type of open source software can be run on StartOS. No matter what programming language, framework, database or interface the service has, it can be adapted for StartOS. This is made possible by the power of Docker containers (don't worry, we'll get to this). We do have a few recommendations for choosing a service that will perform optimally across platforms:
- It either has a web user interface (it can be interacted with in a web browser), or is server software that external applications or internal services can connect to. Please keep in mind that StartOS users are not expected to have SSH and/or CLI access.
- The interfaces supported are: HTTP, TCP, and REST APIs
- It can be compiled for ARM (
arm64v8) and/or (amd64) - It can be served over TOR
- It creates a Docker image that is optimized for size (under 1GB) to save device space and expedite installation time
A basic development and testing environment includes:
- An Server One or Pro with latest StartOS
- Use your own hardware to DIY
- Purchase a device from the Start9 Store
- x86/VM support coming soon
- A development machine
- Linux is highly recommended, and this walkthrough will assume a Debian-based (Ubuntu) distribution
These tools may or may not be necessary, depending on your environment and the package you are building.
- Code Editor (IDE)
- We recommend Visual Studio Code
- Build essentials (Ubuntu)
- Common build tools and encryption libraries
sudo apt-get install -y build-essential openssl libssl-dev libc6-dev clang libclang-dev ca-certificates - Git
- This is a version control system that is used widely in Open Source development. Install with:
sudo apt install git- Use the following verify installation:
Note: Anytime you use agit --versiongit clonecommand in this guide, it will create a new directory with code in it, so make sure you are executing this command from a directory that you want to store code in, such as yourhomefolder. - yq
- A lightweight and portable command-line YAML, JSON and XML processor.
sudo snap install yq
- Docker
- Docker is currently the only supported containerization method for StartOS. This declares the necessary environment and building stages for your package to run. Install the desktop GUI or via the command line:
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o- | bash sudo usermod -aG docker "$USER" exec sudo su -l $USER- We need to enable cross-arch emulated builds in Docker (unless you are building on an ARM machine, such as an M1 Mac).
docker run --privileged --rm linuxkit/binfmt:v0.8- Buildx
- This adds desirable new features to the Docker build experience. It is included by default with Docker Desktop GUI. If Docker was installed via command line, additionally run:
docker buildx install docker buildx create --use
- Rust & Cargo
- Cargo is the package management solution for the Rust programming language. It is needed to build the SDK. The following will install both Rust and Cargo:
curl https://sh.rustup.rs -sSf | sh source $HOME/.cargo/env- Verify install:
cargo --version - SDK
- StartOS has an embedded Software Development Kit (SDK). You can install this component on any system, without needing to run StartOS.
git clone -b latest --recursive https://github.com/Start9Labs/start-os.git && cd start-os/core && ./install-sdk.sh # initialize sdk start-sdk init # verify install start-sdk --version- Deno (an optional component for more advanced SDK features)
- A simple, modern and secure runtime for JavaScript and TypeScript that uses V8 and is built in Rust. It is used to enable the scripting API portion of the SDK.
sudo snap install deno
Check your environment setup by building a demo project and installing it to StartOS.
- Get Hello World
git clone https://github.com/Start9Labs/hello-world-wrapper.git cd hello-world-wrapper - Build to create
hello-world.s9pkmake - Sideload & Run
- In the StartOS web UI menu, navigate to
Settings -> Sideload Service - Drag and drop or select the
hello-world.s9pkfrom your filesystem to install - Once the service has installed, navigate to
Services -> Hello Worldand click "Start" - Once the Health Check is successful, click "Launch UI" and verify you see the Hello World page
- In the StartOS web UI menu, navigate to
The package file produced by this process has a s9pk extension. This file is what is installed to run a service on StartOS.
A Dockerfile defines the recipe for building the environment to run a service. Currently, StartOS only supports one Dockerfile per project (i.e. no Docker compose), so it should include any necessary database configurations. There are several methods to build a Dockerfile for your service.
First, check to see if the upstream project has already built one. This is usually your best source for finding Docker images that are compatible with ARM. Next, you can:
- Download an image from Docker Hub
- Make a new Dockerfile, and pull in an image the upstream project hosted on Docker Hub as the base
- Make a new Dockerfile, and pull in a small distribution base (eg. alpine) and compile the build environment yourself using the upstream project source code
After coding the build steps, build the Docker image using docker buildx, replacing the placeholder variables:
docker buildx build --tag start9/$(PKG_ID)/main:$(PKG_VERSION) --platform=linux/$(PLATFORM) -o type=docker,dest=image.tar .
The resulting docker-images/aarch64.tar or docker-images/x86_64.tar artifact (depending on if you used --platform=linux/arm64 or --platform=linux/amd64 is the Docker image that needs to be included in the s9pk package.
Once we have a Docker image, we can create the service wrapper. A service wrapper is a repository of a new git committed project that "wraps" an existing project (i.e. the upstream project). It contains the set of metadata files needed to build a s9pk, define information displayed in the user interface, and establish the data structure of your package. This repository can exist on any hosted git server - it does not need to be a part of the Start9 GitHub ecosystem.
The following files should be included in the service wrapper repository:
- A
manifest.yamlfile, which defines:- The package id - a unique lowercase and hyphenated package identifier (eg. hello-world)
- Essential initialization details, such as version
- Where you are persisting your data on the filesystem (i.e. mounts and volumes)
- Port mappings (i.e. interfaces)
- Check out the Hello World example to see line-by-line details
- An
instructions.mdfile:- Instructions for the user
- Appears as a menu item in the service page UI
- A
LICENSEfile:- The Open Source License for your wrapper
- An
icon.pngfile:- The image that will be associated with the service throughout the UI, including in a marketplace
- A
MAKEFILE:- Build instructions to create the s9pk
- Example
- A
Dockerfile:- A recipe for service creation
- Add here any prerequisite environment variables, files, or permissions
- Examples:
- A
docker_entrypoint.shscript:
Building the final s9pk artifact depends on the existence of the files listed above, and the execution of the following steps (which should be added to the Makefile):
start-sdk pack
# replace PKG_ID with your package identifier
start-sdk verify s9pk $(PKG_ID).s9pk
The verification step will provide details about missing files, or fields in the service manifest file.
That's it! You now have a package!
- Run the
makecommand from the root folder of your wrapper repository to execute the build instructions defined in theMAKEFILE - Install the package, via either:
- Drag and drop:
- In the StartOS web UI menu, navigate to
Settings -> Sideload Service - Drag and drop or select the
<package>.s9pkfrom your filesystem to install
- In the StartOS web UI menu, navigate to
- Use the CLI:
- Create a config file with the IP address of the device running StartOS:
touch /etc/embassy/config.yaml echo "host: <IP_ADDRESS_REPLACE_ME>" > /etc/embassy/config.yaml # login with master password start-cli auth login start-cli package install <PACKAGE_ID_REPLACE_ME>.s9pk
- Create a config file with the IP address of the device running StartOS:
- Drag and drop:
- Once the service has installed, navigate to
Services -> <Service Name>and click "Start" - Check that the service operations function as expected by either launching the UI, or querying if a server application
- Check that each UI element on the service's page displays the proper information and is accurately formatted
- Ensure the service can be stopped, restarted, and upgraded (if applicable)
The s9pk file can be uploaded for distribution to any website, repository, or marketplace. You can also submit your package for publication consideration on a Start9 Marketplace by emailing us at [email protected] or by contacting us in one of our community channels. Please include a link to the wrapper repository with a detailed README in the submission.
Start9 has developed a highly extensible scripting API for developers to create the best possible user experience. This is your toolkit for creating the most powerful service possible by enabling features such as:
- Configuration
- Version migration
- Dependencies
- Health checks
- Properties
Use is optional. To experiment, simply use the existing skeleton from the Hello World wrapper example, changing only the package version in the migration file.
Check out the specification here.
Have a question? Need a hand? Please jump into our Community, or our Matrix Community Dev Channel.
- I'm looking for a more guidance with this process, do you have any resources?
- Yes, you can find our full service packaging specification (and more) in our developer docs.
service - open software applications that run on StartOS
package - the composed set of a Docker image, a service manifest, and service instructions, icon, and license, that are formatted into a file with the s9pk extension using start-sdk
wrapper - the project repository that "wraps" the upstream project, and includes additionally necessary files for building and packaging a service for eOS
scripts - a set of developer APIs that enable advanced configuration options for services
start-sdk - the Software Development Toolkit used to package and verify services for StartOS
open source software - computer software that is released under a license in which the copyright holder grants users the rights to use, study, change, and distribute the software and its source code to anyone and for any purpose
upstream project - the original, source project code that is used as the base for a service
StartOS - a browser-based, graphical operating system for a personal server
s9pk - the file extension for the packaged service artifact needed to install and run a service on StartOS