particle-os-tools/docs/bootc

BootC Documentation

Overview

BootC is a container-native bootable image system that provides an alternative approach to immutable system management. It allows running container images as bootable systems, providing a bridge between container technology and traditional system booting.

BootC Alternative Script

The bootc-alternative.sh script provides:

• Container Boot Support: Boot from container images
• Image Management: Manage bootable container images
• System Integration: Integrate container images with bootloader
• Update Management: Handle container image updates
• Status Information: Get system status and image information

Key Features

• Container Native: Uses standard container images as bootable systems
• Immutable Design: Container images are immutable and atomic
• Update Management: Atomic updates with rollback support
• Boot Integration: Seamless integration with standard bootloaders
• OCI Compatibility: Works with standard OCI container images

Documentation Files

Core Documentation

• bootc-guide.md - Comprehensive user guide
• bootc-api.md - API reference and command documentation
• bootc-architecture.md - Technical architecture details

Technical Documentation

• bootc-performance.md - Performance considerations and optimization
• bootc-troubleshooting.md - Common issues and solutions
• bootc-migration.md - Migration from other boot systems

Quick Start

# Install a container image as bootable system
bootc-alternative.sh install my-container:latest

# List installed bootable images
bootc-alternative.sh list

# Update to a new container image
bootc-alternative.sh update my-container:v2.0

# Rollback to previous image
bootc-alternative.sh rollback

# Get system status
bootc-alternative.sh status

Integration

BootC integrates with:

• apt-layer.sh: For layer management within container images
• bootloader-integration.sh: For boot entry management
• oci-integration.sh: For OCI image handling
• ublue-config.sh: For unified configuration

Architecture

BootC provides:

• Container Boot: Boot directly from container images
• Immutable Updates: Atomic updates with rollback support
• Layer Management: Support for layered container images
• Boot Integration: Standard bootloader compatibility
• Update Management: Automated update and rollback

Performance Characteristics

• Boot Performance: Fast boot times from optimized container images
• Update Performance: Efficient delta updates between container layers
• Storage Efficiency: Layer deduplication and compression
• Memory Usage: Optimized memory usage for container boot

Security Features

• Immutable Images: Container images cannot be modified at runtime
• Atomic Updates: All-or-nothing update semantics
• Rollback Support: Easy rollback to previous images
• Integrity Verification: Optional integrity checking

Development Status

BootC is in development with:

• 🔄 Container boot support (in progress)
• 🔄 Image management (in progress)
• 🔄 Boot integration (planned)
• 🔄 Update management (planned)
• 🔄 Security features (planned)

For more information, see the individual documentation files listed above.