mirror of
https://github.com/balena-io/open-balena.git
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136 lines
9.0 KiB
Markdown
136 lines
9.0 KiB
Markdown
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---
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**openbalena is a platform that helps you deploy and manage connected devices. Devices run [balenaOS][balena-os-website], a host operating system designed for running containers on IoT devices, and are managed via the [balena CLI][balena-cli], which you can use to configure your application containers, push updates, check status, view logs, and more.**
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## Highlights
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- **Simple provisioning**: Adding devices to your fleet is a breeze
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- **Easy updates**: Remotely update the software on your devices with a single command
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- **Container-based**: Benefit from the power of virtualization, optimized for the edge
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- **Scalable**: Deploy and manage one device, or one million
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- **Powerful API & SDK**: Extend openBalena to fit your needs
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- **Built-in VPN**: Access your devices regardless of their network environment
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## Motivation
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openbalena’s backend services, composed of battle-tested components that we’ve run in production on [balenaCloud][balena-cloud-website] for years, can store device information securely and reliably, allow remote management via a built-in VPN service, and efficiently distribute container images to your devices.
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To learn more about openbalena, visit [balena.io/open][open-balena-website].
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## Setup and Configuration
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Our [Getting Started guide][getting-started] is the most direct path to getting
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an openBalena installation up and running and successfully deploying your
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application to your device(s).
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## Compatibility
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The current release of openBalena has the following minimum version requirements:
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- balenaOS v2.58.3
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- balena CLI v12.38.5
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If you are updating from previous openBalena versions, ensure you update the balena
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CLI and reprovision any devices to at least the minimum required versions in order
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for them to be fully compatible with this release, as some features may not work.
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## Documentation
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While we're still working on the project documentation, please refer to the
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[balenaCloud documentation][documentation]. BalenaCloud is built on top of
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openBalena, so the core concepts and functionality is identical. The following
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sections are of particular interest:
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- [Overview / A balena primer](https://balena.io/docs/learn/welcome/primer)
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- [Overview / Core Concepts](https://balena.io/docs/learn/welcome/concepts)
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- [Overview / Going to production](https://balena.io/docs/learn/welcome/production-plan)
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- [Develop / Define a container](https://balena.io/docs/learn/develop/dockerfile)
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- [Develop / Multiple containers](https://balena.io/docs/learn/develop/multicontainer)
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- [Develop / Runtime](https://balena.io/docs/learn/develop/runtime)
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- [Develop / Interact with hardware](https://balena.io/docs/learn/develop/hardware)
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- [Deploy / Optimize your builds](https://balena.io/docs/learn/deploy/build-optimization)
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- [Reference](https://balena.io/docs/reference)
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- [FAQ](https://balena.io/docs/faq/troubleshooting/faq)
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## Getting Help
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You are welcome to submit any questions, participate in discussions and request
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help with any issue in [openBalena forums][forums]. The balena team frequents
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these forums and will be happy to help. You can also ask other community members
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for help, or contribute by answering questions posted by fellow openBalena users.
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Please do not use the issue tracker for support-related questions.
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## Contributing
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Everyone is welcome to contribute to openBalena. There are many different ways
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to get involved apart from submitting pull requests, including helping other
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users on the [forums][forums], reporting or triaging [issues][issue-tracker],
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reviewing and discussing [pull requests][pulls], or just spreading the word.
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All of openBalena is hosted on GitHub. Apart from its constituent components,
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which are the [API][open-balena-api], [VPN][open-balena-vpn], [Registry][open-balena-registry],
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[S3 storage service][open-balena-s3], and [Database][open-balena-db], contributions
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are also welcome to its client-side software such as the [balena CLI][balena-cli],
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the [balena SDK][balena-sdk], [balenaOS][balena-os] and [balenaEngine][balena-engine].
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## Roadmap
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OpenBalena is currently in beta. While fully functional, it lacks features we
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consider important before we can comfortably call it production-ready. During
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this phase, don’t be alarmed if things don’t work as expected just yet (and
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please let us know about any bugs or errors you encounter!). The following
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improvements and new functionality is planned:
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- Full documentation
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- Full test suite
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- Simplified deployment
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- Remote host OS updates
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- Support for custom device types
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## Differences between openBalena and balenaCloud
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| openBalena | balenaCloud |
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| ----- | ---- |
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| Device updates using full images | Device updates using [delta images](https://www.balena.io/docs/learn/deploy/delta/) |
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| Support for a single user | Support for [multiple users](https://www.balena.io/docs/learn/manage/account/#application-members) |
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| Self-hosted deployment and scaling | balena-managed scaling and deployment |
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| Community support via [forums][forums] | Private support on [paid plans](https://www.balena.io/pricing/) |
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| Deploy via `balena deploy` only | Build remotely with native builders using [`balena push`](https://www.balena.io/docs/learn/deploy/deployment/#balena-push) or [`git push`](https://www.balena.io/docs/learn/deploy/deployment/#git-push) |
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| No support for building via `git push` | Use the same CI workflow with [`git push`](https://www.balena.io/docs/learn/deploy/deployment/#git-push) |
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| No public URL support | Serve websites directly from device with [public device URLs](https://www.balena.io/docs/learn/manage/actions/#enable-public-device-url) |
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| Management via `balena-cli` only | Cloud-based device management dashboard |
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| Download images from [balena.io][balena-os-website] | Download preconfigured images directly from the dashboard |
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| No supported remote diagnostics | Remote device diagnostics |
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| Supported devices: Raspberry Pi family, the Intel NUC, the NVIDIA Jetson TX2, and the balenaFin | All the devices listed in balena's [reference documentation](https://www.balena.io/docs/reference/hardware/devices/) |
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Additionally, refer back to the [roadmap](#roadmap) above for planned but not yet implemented features.
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## License
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OpenBalena is licensed under the terms of AGPL v3. See [LICENSE](LICENSE) for details.
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[balena-cli]: https://github.com/balena-io/balena-cli
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[balena-cloud-website]: https://balena.io/cloud
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[balena-engine]: https://github.com/balena-os/balena-engine
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[balena-os-website]: https://balena.io/os
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[balena-os]: https://github.com/balena-os/meta-balena
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[balena-sdk]: https://github.com/balena-io/balena-sdk
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[documentation]: https://balena.io/docs/learn/welcome/introduction/
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[forums]: https://forums.balena.io/c/open-balena
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[getting-started]: https://balena.io/open/docs/getting-started
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[issue-tracker]: https://github.com/balena-io/open-balena/issues
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[open-balena-api]: https://github.com/balena-io/open-balena-api
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[open-balena-db]: https://github.com/balena-io/open-balena-db
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[open-balena-registry]: https://github.com/balena-io/open-balena-registry
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[open-balena-s3]: https://github.com/balena-io/open-balena-s3
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[open-balena-vpn]: https://github.com/balena-io/open-balena-vpn
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[open-balena-website]: https://balena.io/open
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[pulls]: https://github.com/balena-io/open-balena/pulls
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