Getting Started

BitForge is a single, self-contained binary. You install it by downloading a prebuilt release asset with the install script — there is no Python virtualenv, package manager or global toolchain to set up first.

Resource	Link
Releases	github.com/DraviaVemal/BitForge/releases
Source & issues	github.com/DraviaVemal/BitForge

Requirements

• Linux x86_64 (the supported release target)
• curl and git on your PATH
• A working Yocto host environment (build-essential, gawk, diffstat, chrpath, etc. — see the Yocto quick start)

Install

1. Download and install the latest stable binary:

   curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/DraviaVemal/BitForge/release/install.sh | sh

   The script detects your OS/arch, downloads the matching bitforge-linux-x86_64 asset and installs it to ~/.local/bin/bitforge.

2. Make sure the install directory is on your PATH:

   export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
   bitforge --version

Tip

Prefer the latest pre-release? Pass --beta, and use --dir to install somewhere else:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/DraviaVemal/BitForge/release/install.sh | sh -s -- --beta
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/DraviaVemal/BitForge/release/install.sh | sh -s -- --dir=/usr/local/bin

Note

Already installed? Update in place with bitforge --update (add --beta for the pre-release channel). See Building & Web UI.

Bootstrap your first workspace

1. Create a new project. BitForge initializes a git repository, clones OpenEmbedded-core + BitBake, scaffolds a starter layer and writes a BitForge.toml:

   bitforge --init my-distro
   cd my-distro

   To base the workspace on poky instead of OpenEmbedded-core, pass a poky release:

   bitforge --init my-distro --poky scarthgap

2. Start BitForge. It generates the BitBake config, verifies the sources and launches the web UI:

   bitforge

   The console prints the local URL (for example http://0.0.0.0:PORT). Open it to watch and control builds.

3. Kick off a build — either from the web UI, or directly from the CLI:

   bitforge --build core-image-minimal

Caution

Run bitforge from inside a workspace directory (one that contains a BitForge.toml). Outside of --init / --version / --update, BitForge expects a git-tracked project and exits if none is found.

What gets created

After --init, your project looks like this:

Path	Purpose
BitForge.toml	Project manifest — workspace, layers and dependencies. You edit this (directly or via commands).
BitForge.lock	Lockfile pinning every dependency layer to an exact commit.
layers/	Your own layers. The starter layer is scaffolded here.
conf/	Generated local.conf and bblayers.conf.
ForgeSource/	Cloned poky/OE-core, BitBake and upstream layers (git-ignored).
build/	BitBake build output (git-ignored).

Where to next

• Workspace & Projects — how init works and the project layout.
• Layers & Dependencies — add upstream layers and pin them.
• Building & Web UI — run builds and use the server.
• CLI Reference — every command and flag.
• Configuration — the full BitForge.toml schema.