[TOOL] [WIN/LINUX] routerFW: Dockerized OpenWrt Builder (Stateful Upgrades, IPK Import, Vermagic)

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1

Hi everyone,

I'm sharing a tool I developed to solve the typical frustrations with OpenWrt custom builds.
We all know the pain: standard Image Builders are fast but limited, while setting up a full build environment (SDK) on a PC is time-consuming and prone to breakage.

routerFW is a Docker-based wrapper that bridges this gap. It runs on Windows and Linux using a unified set of scripts.

GitHub Repository: https://github.com/iqubik/routerFW/blob/main/README.en.md
Latest Release: https://github.com/iqubik/routerFW/releases

Core Concept:
It separates your configuration (packages, settings, patches) from the build environment. You define your router's "State" in a profile, and the tool spins up a clean Docker container to build it.

Key Features (How it helps)

1. Stateful Upgrades / "Digital Twin"

  • Simple: You don't need to reinstall packages manually after every upgrade.
  • Technical: The tool uses a persistent .conf profile. It aggregates your package lists, custom files (/etc/config), and build settings into a single reproducible definition. You can switch between Image Builder (fast update) and Source Build (deep mod) using the same profile.

2. Custom IPK Integration (Binary-to-Source)

  • Simple: You can easily include custom apps or drivers that aren't in the official repo.
  • Technical: The tool includes a dedicated Importer Utility. You place your .ipk in a folder and run the import script. It parses the control file, extracts dependencies, and generates a valid OpenWrt Makefile wrapper. This allows the build system to resolve dependencies automatically, rather than just copying files to rootfs.

3. Official Kmod Compatibility (Vermagic Fix)

  • Simple: Allows you to install official kernel modules (opkg install kmod-...) even on a custom-built firmware.
  • Technical: When building from source, the tool can fetch the official release manifest, extract the upstream kernel hash, and patch include/kernel-defaults.mk.
    Note: This ensures version string compatibility. Please use with common sense—if you strip essential kernel features, official modules may still crash.

4. Cross-Platform & Clean

  • Simple: Works on Windows (via Docker Desktop) and Linux. No mess left on your OS.
  • Technical: All scripts automatically handle CRLF/LF normalization for hooks and configs. You don't need to worry about Windows text editors breaking shell scripts inside the container.

5. Interactive Fine-Tuning (for Source Builds)

  • Simple: If you need to change a deep kernel option, you can launch the interactive menuconfig directly from the main menu.
  • Technical: After you exit menuconfig, the script detects the changes you made to .config and prompts you to automatically save them back into the SRC_EXTRA_CONFIG variable in your profile. This makes kernel experimentation fast, reproducible, and non-destructive.

6. Smart Workspace & Cache Management

  • Simple: The tool won't fill your hard drive with old build artifacts. A dedicated Maintenance menu helps you clean up what you don't need.
  • Technical: It provides granular control over cleaning. You can selectively wipe the SDK cache, downloaded .ipk packages, the ccache (object files), or the entire source directories. This helps manage disk space without forcing a full rebuild every time.

Workflow

  1. Setup: Run _unpacker to pull the scripts and Docker environment.
  2. Profile: Run the Wizard to generate a config for your device (or edit profiles/my_router.conf manually).
  3. Import (Optional): If you have external .ipk files, run the Import Custom IPK script to generate Makefiles.
  4. Build: Run _Builder. It provides a clear dashboard of all your profiles. You can build a single profile or batch-build all profiles in parallel (supported on both Windows & Linux).

Sample Profile Config:
It is designed to be readable.

PROFILE_NAME="nanopi-r5c"
TARGET_PROFILE="friendlyarm_nanopi-r5c"

# Packages to include/exclude
COMMON_LIST="luci-app-sqm htop -dnsmasq dnsmasq-full"

# Source Build Settings
SRC_REPO="https://github.com/openwrt/openwrt.git"
SRC_BRANCH="v24.10.5"
# SRC_EXTRA_CONFIG='' can be used to inject kernel options

Screenshots

main
main1435×1060 336 KB

The main menu gives you an at-a-glance overview of each profile's resources, like custom files [F], package lists [P], source patches [S], or hooks [H].

build
build1483×762 75.2 KB

vermagic1
vermagic11483×472 30.8 KB

Download & Source

The project is Open Source (GPLv3) and follows a "Zero Trust" development philosophy. The code is open for audit.

GitHub Repository: https://github.com/iqubik/routerFW/blob/main/README.en.md
Latest Release: https://github.com/iqubik/routerFW/releases

Feedback is welcome. If you have a board that needs a specific config preset, let me know.

3 Likes
Official package feeds for custom OpenWrt
2

reserved post

3

update has avaible

4

This is fantastic! Ill check it asap.