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Yocto Project
Initial release	2010; 16 years ago (2010)
Stable release	5.3 (Whinlatter)[1] / December 2025; 2 months ago (2025-12)
Written in	PrimarilyPython,Shell
Website	yoctoproject.org
Repository	git.yoctoproject.org

TheYocto Project is aLinux Foundation collaborativeopen source project whose goal is to produce tools and processes that enable the creation ofLinux distributions forembedded andIoTsoftware that are independent of the host hardware architecture, supports customization and results in repeatable output. The toolset managed by the project, commonly calledyocto, consists of interoperable tools, metadata, and processes. The project was announced by the Linux Foundation in 2010 and launched in March, 2011, in collaboration with 22 organizations, includingOpenEmbedded.^[2]

The Yocto and OpenEmbedded projects share maintenance ofBitBake (build engine) and OpenEmbedded-Core (core metadata). Yocto provides a reference implementation called Poky, which contains the OpenEmbedded build system plus a large set of recipes, arranged in hierarchical layers, that can be used as a template for a customized, embeddedoperating system.

In addition to building a Linux system, yocto provides other, related features. It can generate a toolchain forcross compilation and asoftware development kit (SDK) tailored to a hardware environment. It supports package creation in a variety of formats includingdeb,rpm, or ipk. Within builds, there are options for various build-timesanity/regression tests, and also the option to boot and test certain images underQEMU to validate the build.

The project encourages interaction with upstream projects and has contributed heavily to OpenEmbedded-Core andBitBake as well as to numerous upstream projects, including theLinux kernel.^[3] The resulting images are typically useful in systems where embedded Linux would be used, these being single-use focused systems or systems without the usual screens/input devices associated with desktop Linux systems.

There are several other sub-projects under the project umbrella which include CROPS, pseudo, thematchbox suite of applications, and many others. One of the central goals of the project is interoperability among these tools.

In October 2018,Arm Holdings partnered withIntel in order to share code for embedded systems through the Yocto Project.^[4]

The Yocto Project is one of many collaborative projects organized as a non-profit under the banner of theLinux Foundation.^[5] The project's governance is divided loosely into technical and administrative arms, although many members participate in both camps.

At a technical level, the project is overseen by the project architect Richard Purdie (a Linux Foundation Fellow^[6]) who has a long history of involvement with many of the project's components and technologies.^[7] The architect maintains a hierarchy of maintainers for the different components of the system, much as the Linux kernel is maintained.

The administrative arm consists of an advisory board made up of representatives from the project's member organizations, including several major silicon vendors, commercial operating system vendors that use yocto as their upstream, corporate users, as well as representatives from groups such as software consultants and community members.^[8] The member organizations of this board provide resources to the project. There are also several advisory board working groups that handle administrative functions for the project such as finance, infrastructure, advocacy and outreach, and community management.

The Yocto Project Branding Program provides an opportunity to associate the use of the Yocto Project with an organization or product. An organization that uses yocto is a candidate to be branded as aYocto Project Participant. A product (such as a BSP or any OE-compatible layer) is a candidate to be branded asYocto Project Compatible.^[9]

Major releases occur about every 6 months (April and October).^[10] Version 3.1 was the firstlong-term support (LTS) release.^[11] Since then, a new LTS release is added every two years. The 3.1 series and 4.0 were originally planned for two years but extended to four. The next LTS releases are planned for 4 years.^[12] Since version 3.1, the release codenames are names ofmountains or passes in the Cumbria county in Northern England.

The project attempts to update documentation for each release, retaining all documents for current and archived releases on the website, as the documentation can change significantly with any release.^[13]

• Buildroot
• T2 SDE

• Deciding between Buildroot and Yocto,LWN.net, April 6, 2016, by Nathan Willis

• Build automation
• Embedded Linux
• Linux Foundation projects

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