Environment Setup
StartOS machine
You will need a computer running StartOS to test your package. Follow the flashing guide to install StartOS on a physical device or VM.
Docker
Docker is essential for building and managing container images that will be used for final .s9pk build. It handles:
- Pulling base images for your service containers
- Building custom container images from Dockerfiles
Make
Make is a build automation tool that streamlines the package creation process and it is used to:
- Execute build scripts defined in Makefiles
- Coordinate the packaging workflow
- Build and install s9pk binaries to StartOS
- Automate repetitive development tasks
Node.js v22 (Latest LTS)
Node.js is required for compiling TypeScript code used in StartOS package configurations.
SquashFS
SquashFS is used to create compressed filesystem images that package your compiled service code.
Installation:
Linux (Debian-based)
sudo apt install squashfs-tools squashfs-tools-ng
macOS
Make sure you have Homebrew installed, then:
brew install squashfs
Start CLI
start-cli is the core development toolkit for building StartOS packages and provides:
- Package validation and verification
- s9pk file creation and assembly
- Development workflow management
- Integration with StartOS systems
Installation:
The easiest way to install start-cli is using our automated installer script:
curl -fsSL https://start9labs.github.io/start-cli | sh