BitBake
Encyclopedia
BitBake is a make-alike build tool with the special focus of distributions and packages for embedded Linux cross compilation even if it's not limited to only that. It is derived from Portage
, which is the package management system
used by the Gentoo Linux
distribution and then existed for some time in the OpenEmbedded
project until it got separated in a stand alone maintained, distribution independent tool.
a particular package. It includes all the package dependencies, sources to fetch the source code
from, configuration, compilation, build, install and remove instructions. It also stores the meta data for the package in standard variables.
The BitBake recipes consist of the source URL (http, https
, ftp, cvs
, svn, git
, local file system location) of the package, dependencies and compile or install options. During the build process they are used to track dependencies, performing native or cross-compile of the package and pack it up so that it's suitable to be installed on the local or target device. It's also possible to create complete images, consisting of root file system and kernel. As a first step in a cross build setup the framework will attempt to create a cross-compiler toolchain
fit for the target platform.
Portage (software)
Portage is a package management system used by Gentoo Linux, based on the concept of ports collections. Gentoo is sometimes referred to as a meta-distribution due to the extreme flexibility of Portage, which makes it operating-system-independent. The Gentoo/Alt project is concerned with using...
, which is the package management system
Package management system
In software, a package management system, also called package manager, is a collection of software tools to automate the process of installing, upgrading, configuring, and removing software packages for a computer's operating system in a consistent manner...
used by the Gentoo Linux
Gentoo Linux
Gentoo Linux is a computer operating system built on top of the Linux kernel and based on the Portage package management system. It is distributed as free and open source software. Unlike a conventional software distribution, the user compiles the source code locally according to their chosen...
distribution and then existed for some time in the OpenEmbedded
OpenEmbedded
OpenEmbedded is a software framework to create Linux distributions aimed for, but not restricted to, embedded devices. The build system is based on BitBake recipes, which behave similar to Gentoo's ebuilds....
project until it got separated in a stand alone maintained, distribution independent tool.
BitBake Recipes
BitBake recipes tell bitbake how to buildSoftware build
In the field of computer software, the term software build refers either to the process of converting source code files into standalone software artifact that can be run on a computer, or the result of doing so...
a particular package. It includes all the package dependencies, sources to fetch the source code
Source code
In computer science, source code is text written using the format and syntax of the programming language that it is being written in. Such a language is specially designed to facilitate the work of computer programmers, who specify the actions to be performed by a computer mostly by writing source...
from, configuration, compilation, build, install and remove instructions. It also stores the meta data for the package in standard variables.
The BitBake recipes consist of the source URL (http, https
Https
Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure is a combination of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol with SSL/TLS protocol to provide encrypted communication and secure identification of a network web server...
, ftp, cvs
Concurrent Versions System
The Concurrent Versions System , also known as the Concurrent Versioning System, is a client-server free software revision control system in the field of software development. Version control system software keeps track of all work and all changes in a set of files, and allows several developers ...
, svn, git
Git (software)
Git is a distributed revision control system with an emphasis on speed. Git was initially designed and developed by Linus Torvalds for Linux kernel development. Every Git working directory is a full-fledged repository with complete history and full revision tracking capabilities, not dependent on...
, local file system location) of the package, dependencies and compile or install options. During the build process they are used to track dependencies, performing native or cross-compile of the package and pack it up so that it's suitable to be installed on the local or target device. It's also possible to create complete images, consisting of root file system and kernel. As a first step in a cross build setup the framework will attempt to create a cross-compiler toolchain
Toolchain
In software, a toolchain is the set of programming tools that are used to create a product...
fit for the target platform.