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1 | | -# Lightweight Application Containers for Flipper Zero |
| 1 | +# Flipper Zero Containerization System |
2 | 2 |
|
3 | | -## Overview |
| 3 | +The containerization system for Flipper Zero provides a minimal-overhead way to run and manage applications |
| 4 | +in a resource-efficient manner. This system draws inspiration from container orchestration systems like |
| 5 | +Kubernetes but is specifically designed for the highly constrained microcontroller environment. |
4 | 6 |
|
5 | | -The containerization system for Flipper Zero provides a minimal-overhead way to run and manage applications in a resource-efficient manner. This system draws inspiration from container orchestration systems like Kubernetes but is specifically designed for the highly constrained microcontroller environment. |
| 7 | +## Architecture |
6 | 8 |
|
7 | | -## Technical Specifications |
| 9 | +The system consists of the following key components: |
8 | 10 |
|
9 | | -This system is designed with the Flipper Zero's limited resources in mind: |
10 | | -- STM32WB55 MCU with ARM Cortex-M4 core (64 MHz) |
11 | | -- 1MB Flash memory |
12 | | -- 256KB RAM |
| 11 | +- **Container Runtime**: Manages container lifecycle (create, start, stop, destroy) |
| 12 | +- **Pod Manifest**: Defines container groups and their configurations |
| 13 | +- **Service Registry**: Provides lightweight service discovery for inter-container communication |
| 14 | +- **Resource Manager**: Enforces memory and CPU limits for containers |
13 | 15 |
|
14 | | -## Core Components |
| 16 | +## Performance Optimizations |
15 | 17 |
|
16 | | -### Container Runtime |
| 18 | +The containerization system implements several critical optimizations for resource-constrained environments: |
17 | 19 |
|
18 | | -The container runtime manages application lifecycles: |
19 | | -- Starting/stopping applications |
20 | | -- Basic resource monitoring |
21 | | -- Auto-restart capabilities |
| 20 | +- **Memory Pooling**: Containers reuse memory from a pre-allocated pool instead of frequent malloc/free |
| 21 | +- **Hash-Based Service Lookups**: O(1) service discovery with hash-based optimization |
| 22 | +- **Lazy Loading**: Resources are loaded only when needed to minimize memory footprint |
| 23 | +- **Zero-Copy IPC**: Communication between containers uses shared memory references when possible |
22 | 24 |
|
23 | | -### Service Registry |
| 25 | +## Usage Examples |
24 | 26 |
|
25 | | -A lightweight service discovery mechanism: |
26 | | -- Registration of internal and external services |
27 | | -- Service lookup by name and namespace |
28 | | -- Connection facilitation |
| 27 | +### Creating a Simple Container |
29 | 28 |
|
30 | | -### Pod Manifests |
| 29 | +```c |
| 30 | +// Create a pod manifest |
| 31 | +PodManifest* manifest = pod_manifest_create(); |
| 32 | +manifest->name = "my-app"; |
| 33 | +manifest->container_count = 1; |
| 34 | +manifest->containers[0].name = "main"; |
| 35 | +manifest->containers[0].entry_point = my_app_main; |
31 | 36 |
|
32 | | -Declarative application definitions: |
33 | | -- Compact manifest format (not JSON, more efficient) |
34 | | -- Multi-container pod support |
35 | | -- Resource specifications |
36 | | -- Health check definitions (optional) |
| 37 | +// Start the container |
| 38 | +ContainerRuntime* runtime = container_runtime_get_instance(); |
| 39 | +container_runtime_start(runtime, manifest); |
| 40 | +``` |
37 | 41 |
|
38 | | -## CLI Commands |
| 42 | +### Service Registration and Discovery |
39 | 43 |
|
40 | | -Access container functionality through the command line: |
| 44 | +```c |
| 45 | +// Register a service |
| 46 | +ServiceRegistry* registry = service_registry_get_instance(); |
| 47 | +MyService* my_service = my_service_create(); |
| 48 | +service_registry_register(registry, "my-service", my_service); |
| 49 | +
|
| 50 | +// Discover a service |
| 51 | +MyService* service = service_registry_get_service(registry, "my-service"); |
| 52 | +if(service) { |
| 53 | + my_service_call_method(service); |
| 54 | +} |
| 55 | +``` |
| 56 | + |
| 57 | +## Best Practices |
| 58 | + |
| 59 | +1. Always specify resource limits in pod manifests |
| 60 | +2. Keep container count low - optimal performance with 3-5 containers |
| 61 | +3. Use service registry for interface discovery rather than direct references |
| 62 | +4. Implement graceful shutdown in containers to prevent resource leaks |
| 63 | +5. Prefer static allocation over dynamic when possible |
| 64 | + |
| 65 | +## Future Improvements |
| 66 | + |
| 67 | +- Container networking with virtual interfaces |
| 68 | +- Volume mounts for shared persistent storage |
| 69 | +- Container health checks and self-healing |
| 70 | +- Configuration maps for environment variables |
41 | 71 |
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