NIGHTLY 1.2.0NR · HOST OS GUIDES

Build akernel on your OS

Select a guide to install the build tools, compile the kernel targets, and optionally create a Limine ISO for VM testing.

VM testing only. The opt-in make CC=gcc iso-zip target assembles a Limine x86-64 ISO and ZIP for virtual machines. It is not an installer or a complete operating system. Do not write it to a physical disk or replace your host operating system.

LINUX

Native Linux builds

Ubuntu and Debian — APT packages and GNU Make.
Fedora — DNF packages and GNU Make.
Arch Linux — pacman packages and GNU Make.
Another Linux or Unix-like OS — Requirements and the Linux VM fallback.

For another Linux distribution, install GNU Make, GCC with 32-bit compile support, ELF-capable GNU binutils, NASM, and Git using that distribution's package manager. The build commands and expected outputs are the same as in the Linux guides.

OTHER DESKTOP OPERATING SYSTEMS

Build from Windows or macOS

Windows 10/11 with WSL 2 and Ubuntu — Recommended Windows workflow.
macOS with an Ubuntu virtual machine — Use an x86-64 Linux guest so the required ELF toolchain is available.
Another host OS — Use a Linux VM when an ELF toolchain is unavailable.

These instructions run the build tools in a Linux environment. Native Windows PE or macOS Mach-O compilers do not produce the ELF targets expected by this project.

RECOMMENDED ISO TEST

Use an isolated virtual machine

For ISO testing, create a disposable Ubuntu 24.04 LTS VM with a virtual disk, 2 CPU cores, and at least 2 GB RAM. Take a snapshot first. Never attach a physical host disk.

On Linux, install curl, xorriso, and zip in addition to the standard build tools, then run make CC=gcc iso-zip. The Makefile pins Limine v12.9.4 and verifies its SHA-256 before building. Boot the resulting ISO in QEMU with make run-qemu; its window stays open after the demo kernel halts, and you can close the window to stop QEMU. The guest is not interactive and cannot install an OS.

The ISO is a standard x86-64 bootable CD image with Limine BIOS and UEFI paths. CI smoke-tests both paths in QEMU. VirtualBox, VMware, and Hyper-V can be tried by attaching the ISO as virtual optical media, but they are not yet validated in CI; disable Secure Boot if the firmware rejects the unsigned bootloader. Do not attach a physical disk.