| Anbox | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Wikipedia application for Android running on Anbox | |
| Original authors | Marius Gripsgard, Ricardo Mendoza, Simon Fels, Thomas Voß |
| Developers | Anbox authors (4) |
| Initial release | 11 April 2017; 8 years ago (2017-04-11) |
| Repository | github |
| Operating system | Linux |
| Platform | x86-64,ARM, ARM64 |
| Type | Compatibility layer |
| License | GNU GPL v3[1] |
| Website | anbox |
Anbox (short for “Android in a Box”) is afree and open-sourcecompatibility layer that allows Androidapplications to run onLinux distributions[2] by using containerization techniques. Originally introduced byCanonical, Anbox executes Android applications in a lightweight system container, isolated from the host system for security and efficiency.
Anbox was officially released on April 11, 2017, and rapidly gained attention as a bridge between the mobile Android ecosystem and desktop Linux environments.
Anbox was deprecated on February 3, 2023[3] as it is no longer being actively maintained,[4] as development has shifted toWaydroid[5] (formerly called Anbox-Halium).[6]
Canonical's active development focus shifted toAnbox Cloud, a platform for running Android applications in a cloud environment.[7] Anbox Cloud is a closed-source,[8] enterprise-focused version of the original Anbox, maintained by Canonical, offering extended features, better scalability, and support via Ubuntu Pro.
Anbox executes the Androidruntime environment by usingLXC (Linux Containers), recreating thedirectory structure of Android as a mountable loop image, while using nativeLinux kernel to execute applications. It makes use ofLinux namespaces through LXC for isolation. Applications do not have any direct hardware access, all accesses are sent through the Anboxdaemon.[9] This ensures that Android apps can run on Linux without the need for emulation, offering improved performance compared to traditional methods like Android emulators.
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Anbox Cloud is a cloud-based platform developed byCanonical for runningAndroid operating system instances at scale. It builds on container-based virtualization using LXD to enable multiple isolated Android environments on a single machine.
Unlike the original Anbox project, which was desktop-oriented and is now discontinued, Anbox Cloud is intended for deployment in server and cloud infrastructures. It supports bothArm andx86 architectures, offersGPU acceleration for graphics-intensive workloads such ascloud gaming, and includes tooling for automation, orchestration, and performance monitoring.
Anbox Cloud is compatible with public cloud providers such asAWS,Azure, andGoogle Cloud Platform, as well asprivate andhybrid cloud environments. Anbox Cloud supports elastic scaling and centralized management, and is used for mobile application testing,CI/CD pipelines, low-latency Android streaming, and the development ofin-vehicle software based onAndroid Automotive OS,[10] including support for the Vehicle Hardware Abstraction Layer (VHAL). It is suited for use cases requiring high instance density, secure isolation, and consistent performance.
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