vmlinux-builder

📦 vmlinux-builder is a lightweight TypeScript/Deno-based tool to fetch, configure, and build the Linux kernel vmlinux image for a given version — ideal for use with Firecracker microVMs or other kernel-related debugging/testing tasks.

✨ Features

• Builds any stable Linux kernel version (e.g., 6.1, 6.1.12, 6.1.y)
• Uses a custom .config for reproducible builds
• Outputs a ready-to-use vmlinux-X.Y file
• Written in TypeScript with Deno for better type safety and cross-platform compatibility
• Colored output using Chalk for improved readability
• Easily integrated into CI pipelines (e.g., GitHub Actions)

🛠 Prerequisites

System Dependencies

Ensure you have the following dependencies installed:

sudo apt-get install -y git build-essential flex bison libncurses5-dev \
libssl-dev gcc bc libelf-dev pahole

Deno Runtime

Install Deno if you haven't already:

curl -fsSL https://deno.land/install.sh | sh

Or follow the official Deno installation guide.

🚀 Usage

Clone the repo and provide a kernel version:

# Make the script executable
chmod +x build.ts

# Run with a kernel version
./build.ts 6.16.y

# Or run directly with Deno
deno run --allow-run --allow-read --allow-write --allow-env --allow-net build.ts 6.16.y

Note: Ensure a valid .config file is present in the root directory before running.

Supported Version Formats

• 6.1 - Major.Minor version
• 6.1.12 - Specific patch version
• 6.1.y - Latest from maintenance branch
• v6.1.12 - Version with 'v' prefix (automatically normalized)

Example output

Building vmlinux for Linux kernel 6.16
vmlinux built successfully!
You can find the vmlinux file in /path/to/linux-stable/vmlinux-6.16.x86_64

📦 GitHub Actions

This repo includes a GitHub Actions workflow (.github/workflows/ci.yml) that:

• Triggers on tag push (e.g. git tag 6.16.y && git push origin 6.16.y)
• Builds the vmlinux for that version
• Publishes the resulting vmlinux-X.Y as a GitHub Release asset

🔧 Development

The script is written in TypeScript and runs on Deno. Key features:

• Type-safe: Full TypeScript support with type checking
• Cross-platform: Works on Linux, macOS, and Windows (WSL)
• Modern: Uses Deno's native APIs for file operations and process management
• Colored output: Enhanced user experience with Chalk

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.