Building OS

OpenFactory provides a system for building custom Linux distributions from configurable recipes. This section covers all the configuration options available.

Build Components

Every OpenFactory build consists of these components:


┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    Build Recipe                          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Base Image    │  The underlying Linux distribution     │
├────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Features      │  Pre-built capability modules          │
├────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Services      │  Configured system services            │
├────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Custom Pkgs   │  Software built from your GitHub repos │
├────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Users         │  System accounts and permissions       │
├────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Desktop       │  GUI customization (optional)          │
├────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Scripts       │  First-boot automation                 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Build Process

When you start a build, OpenFactory executes these stages:

Git Agent - Creates a dedicated branch for your build
Planning Agent - AI generates the configuration plan
Config Agent - Applies configuration changes
Package Agent - Prepares custom packages (if needed)
Build Agent - Runs the distribution-specific build system
Test Agent - Verifies the image in a VM
Orchestrator - Finalizes and makes ISO available

Real-Time Streaming

Watch your build progress in real-time:

Live log output from each stage
Progress indicators for long-running tasks
Agent status visualization
Error highlighting with suggestions

Quick Links

Topic	Description
Base Images	Choose your Linux distribution
Features	Available capability modules
Services	Configure system services
Custom Software	Build and install packages from GitHub
Users	Create and manage users
Desktop	Customize GNOME desktop
Startup Scripts	First-boot automation

Example: Complete Build

Here’s an example build configuration:


Create a production web server with:
- Base: Debian Bookworm
- Features: SSH, Docker, firewall, security hardening
- SSH on port 2222 with key-only authentication
- Users: admin (sudo), deploy (docker)
- Firewall: allow SSH, HTTP, HTTPS only
- CIS Level 1 hardening

OpenFactory will generate and execute this configuration automatically, testing each component before delivering your ISO.