tsiry-sandratraina.com / vmlinux-builder
Simple script and config (type-safe) for building custom Linux kernels for Firecracker MicroVMs
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README.md

vmlinux-builder#

release

📦 vmlinux-builder is a lightweight TypeScript/Deno-based tool to fetch, configure, and build the Linux kernel vmlinux image for a given version — ideal for use with Firecracker microVMs or other kernel-related debugging/testing tasks.

✨ Features#

  • Builds any stable Linux kernel version (e.g., 6.1, 6.1.12, 6.1.y)
  • Uses a custom .config for reproducible builds
  • Outputs a ready-to-use vmlinux-X.Y file
  • Written in TypeScript with Deno for better type safety and cross-platform compatibility
  • Colored output using Chalk for improved readability
  • Easily integrated into CI pipelines (e.g., GitHub Actions)

🛠 Prerequisites#

System Dependencies#

Ensure you have the following dependencies installed:

sudo apt-get install -y git build-essential flex bison libncurses5-dev \
libssl-dev gcc bc libelf-dev pahole

Deno Runtime#

Install Deno if you haven't already:

curl -fsSL https://deno.land/install.sh | sh

Or follow the official Deno installation guide.

🚀 Usage#

Clone the repo and provide a kernel version:

# Make the script executable
chmod +x build.ts

# Run with a kernel version
./build.ts 6.16.y

# Or run directly with Deno
deno run --allow-run --allow-read --allow-write --allow-env --allow-net build.ts 6.16.y

Note: Ensure a valid .config file is present in the root directory before running.

Supported Version Formats#

  • 6.1 - Major.Minor version
  • 6.1.12 - Specific patch version
  • 6.1.y - Latest from maintenance branch
  • v6.1.12 - Version with 'v' prefix (automatically normalized)

Example output#

Building vmlinux for Linux kernel 6.16
vmlinux built successfully!
You can find the vmlinux file in /path/to/linux-stable/vmlinux-6.16.x86_64

📦 GitHub Actions#

This repo includes a GitHub Actions workflow (.github/workflows/ci.yml) that:

  • Triggers on tag push (e.g. git tag 6.16.y && git push origin 6.16.y)
  • Builds the vmlinux for that version
  • Publishes the resulting vmlinux-X.Y as a GitHub Release asset

🔧 Development#

The script is written in TypeScript and runs on Deno. Key features:

  • Type-safe: Full TypeScript support with type checking
  • Cross-platform: Works on Linux, macOS, and Windows (WSL)
  • Modern: Uses Deno's native APIs for file operations and process management
  • Colored output: Enhanced user experience with Chalk

📄 License#

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.