elementary OS

Build scripts for image creation

Building Locally

As elementary OS is built with the Debian version of live-build, not the Ubuntu patched version, it's easiest to build an elementary .iso in a Debian VM or container. This prevents messing up your host system too.

The following example uses Docker and assumes you have Docker correctly installed and set up:

1. Clone this project & cd into it:

   git clone https://github.com/elementary/os && cd os
   

2. Configure the channel in the etc/terraform.conf (stable, daily).

3. Run the build:

   docker run --privileged -i -v /proc:/proc \
       -v ${PWD}:/working_dir \
       -w /working_dir \
       debian:latest \
       /bin/bash -s etc/terraform.conf < build.sh
   

4. When done, your image will be in the builds folder.

Raspberry Pi 4

docker run --privileged -i -v /proc:/proc \
    -v ${PWD}:/working_dir \
    -w /working_dir \
    debian:unstable \
    ./build-rpi.sh

Further Information

More information about the concepts behind live-build and the technical decisions made to arrive at this set of tools to build an .iso can be found on the wiki.