Base and Module Configuration

This page documents all overridable configuration variables available in CustomPiOS modules. These variables can be set in your src/config or src/config.local files to customize your distribution build.

How to Use These Variables

Add any of these variables to your src/config file:

export VARIABLE_NAME=value

Or create a src/config.local file for local overrides (this file should be gitignored):

echo"export VARIABLE_NAME=value"> src/config.local

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Configuration Hierarchy

CustomPiOS loads configuration in this order (later sources override earlier ones):

1. CustomPiOS/src/modules/*/config - Module defaults
2. src/config - Your distribution config
3. src/config.local - Local overrides (gitignored)
4. src/variants/*/config - Variant-specific config
5. Environment variables set in CI/CD

For more information about modules and how they work, see the CustomPiOS Modules documentation.

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Common Configuration Examples

Minimal Configuration

export DIST_NAME=MyDistro
export DIST_VERSION=1.0.0
export MODULES="base(network)"

Standard ARM Configuration with Docker

export DIST_NAME=MyDistro
export DIST_VERSION=1.0.0
export MODULES="base(network, docker)"# Base image configurationexport BASE_IMAGE_ENLARGEROOT=2000
export BASE_IMAGE_RESIZEROOT=500
export BASE_SSH_ENABLE=yes

Example base board: Raspberry Pi OS 64 bits (Lite)

This now requires the image to be present in src/image-NAMEHERE (NAMEHERE=raspberrypiarm64 in this case):

export DIST_NAME=MyDistro
export DIST_VERSION=1.0.0
export MODULES="base(network, docker)"# ARM64-specific settingsexport BASE_DISTRO=raspios64
export BASE_ARCH=aarch64
export BASE_BOARD=raspberrypiarm64
export BASE_IGNORE_VARIANT_NAME=yes
export BASE_IMAGE_RASPBIAN=no
export BASE_SSH_ENABLE=yes
# Build settingsexport BASE_IMAGE_ENLARGEROOT=2000
export BASE_IMAGE_RESIZEROOT=500

For more base board selection options and architecture configurations, see Base Board Selection.

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Module: base

Core CustomPiOS module providing fundamental image building capabilities and base system configuration.

Last Updated:23fcc0c (2024-12-14)

Variable	Description	Default
BASE_VERSION	CustomPiOS version.	2.0.0
BASE_PRESCRIPT	Pre-build script execution.	(empty)
BASE_POSTSCRIPT	Post-build script execution.	(empty)
BASE_BOARD	Target board type: "raspberrypiarmhf", "raspberrypiarm64", or other Armbian boards.	raspberrypiarmhf
BASE_OS	Operating system target.	debian_bookworm
BASE_IMAGE_PATH	Path to the base image for the board.	${DIST_PATH}/image or ${DIST_PATH}/image-${BASE_BOARD}
BASE_IMAGE_RASPBIAN	Whether this is a Raspbian image.	yes
BASE_DISTRO	Linux distribution: "raspbian", "raspios64", or "ubuntu".	raspbian
BASE_ZIP_IMG	Custom or already-extracted image file path (.img, .zip, .7z, .xz).	Auto-detected
BASE_USER	Default user for the image.	pi (raspbian) / ubuntu (ubuntu)
BASE_ADD_USER	Add base user if it doesn't exist.	yes
BASE_USER_PASSWORD	Password for the base user.	raspberry (raspbian) / ubuntu (ubuntu)
BASE_RELEASE_COMPRESS	Compress the final release image.	yes
BASE_RELEASE_IMG_NAME	Name for the released image.	default
BASE_RELEASE_ZIP_NAME	Name for the released zip file.	default
BASE_WORKSPACE	Build workspace directory.	${DIST_PATH}/workspace${WORKSPACE_POSTFIX}
BASE_MOUNT_PATH	Mount path for image manipulation.	${BASE_WORKSPACE}/mount
BASE_BOOT_MOUNT_PATH	Boot partition mount path in image.	boot/firmware
BASE_ROOT_PARTITION	Root partition number in the image.	2
BASE_IMAGE_ENLARGEROOT	Pre-build root partition enlargement in MB.	200
BASE_IMAGE_RESIZEROOT	Post-build root partition resize in MB (minimum size + value).	200
BASE_APT_CACHE	Local directory for APT cache bind mount.	${BASE_WORKSPACE}/aptcache
BASE_APT_PROXY	APT proxy server (host:port format, e.g., apt-cacher-ng).	(empty)
BASE_APT_MIRROR	Alternative APT mirror URL.	(empty)
BASE_PYPI_INDEX	Alternative PyPI index URL (e.g., devpi proxy).	(empty)
BASE_OVERRIDE_HOSTNAME	Override the system hostname.	${DIST_NAME,,}
BASE_USE_ALT_DNS	Alternative DNS servers during build (space-separated).	(empty)
BASE_BUILD_REPO_MIRROR	Git mirror for clones instead of original remotes.	(empty)
BASE_SSH_ENABLE	Enable SSH daemon.	yes
BASE_COMMIT	Git commit hash of CustomPiOS used in build.	Auto-detected
BASE_CONFIG_MEMSPLIT	Memory split configuration.	default
BASE_CONFIG_TIMEZONE	System timezone.	default
BASE_CONFIG_LOCALE	System locale.	default
BASE_CONFIG_KEYBOARD	Keyboard layout.	default
BASE_ARCH	Architecture: "armv7l", "arm64", or "aarch64".	armv7l
BASE_IGNORE_VARIANT_NAME	Disable variant name appending to image name.	no
BASE_ENABLE_UART	Enable UART console on boot.	no
BASE_APT_CLEAN	Clean APT cache after build completion.	yes

Raspberry Pi Imager Integration

These distribution-level variables configure metadata for Raspberry Pi Imager JSON generation:

Variable	Description	Default
RPI_IMAGER_NAME	Display name in Raspberry Pi Imager.	${DIST_NAME}
RPI_IMAGER_DESCRIPTION	Description shown in Raspberry Pi Imager.	(required)
RPI_IMAGER_WEBSITE	Project website URL.	(required)
RPI_IMAGER_ICON	Icon image URL (PNG format recommended).	(required)

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Module: network

Configures network settings including WiFi power save and network management.

Variable	Description	Default
NETWORK_DISABLE_PWRSAVE	Disable power save for WiFi module.	yes
NETWORK_PWRSAVE_TYPE	Power save implementation type: "rclocal", "service", or "udev".	udev
NETWORK_WPA_SUPPLICANT	Enable WPA-Supplicant boot folder support (pre-Bookworm).	no
NETWORK_NETWORK_MANAGER	Enable Network Manager boot folder support (Bookworm).	yes

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Module: admin-toolkit

Provides administrative tools for user management, SSH configuration, firewall setup, and system administration tasks.

Variable	Description	Default
ADMIN_TOOLKIT_NAME	Username for the new admin user to add. If left "default", no user will be added.	default
ADMIN_TOOLKIT_FULLNAME	GECOS field (full name) of the new account. If left "default", this is skipped.	default
ADMIN_TOOLKIT_PASSWORD	Override password for the new user, otherwise uses image default (raspberry).	default
ADMIN_TOOLKIT_PI_NO_SUDO	Remove pi from the sudoers file. Set to "yes" to configure.	no
ADMIN_TOOLKIT_HOSTNAME_CHANGE_SCRIPT	Include a hostname change script. Set to "yes" to include.	no
ADMIN_TOOLKIT_SSH	Public SSH key for user connections. Format: "ssh-rsa SzYtCpyRUU1fvLXvWlezJw...=="	default
ADMIN_TOOLKIT_SSH_NO_PASS	Disable SSH password logins (only if SSH key is set). Set to "yes" to configure.	no
ADMIN_TOOLKIT_SSH_ALLOW_ONLY_CREATED_USER	Allow only the newly created user to SSH. Set to "yes" to configure.	no
ADMIN_TOOLKIT_UPDATE_PACKAGES	Update all packages (apt-get update && apt-get upgrade). Set to "yes" to configure.	no
ADMIN_TOOLKIT_INSTALL_LIST	Package list to install. Use quotes for multiple packages (space-separated).	no
ADMIN_TOOLKIT_UFW_INSTALL	Install UFW firewall. Unless other ports are specified, only SSH port 22 will be open.	no
ADMIN_TOOLKIT_UFW_PORTS_TCP	TCP ports to allow through UFW firewall (comma-separated list).	no
ADMIN_TOOLKIT_UFW_PORTS_UDP	UDP ports to allow through UFW firewall (comma-separated list).	no
ADMIN_TOOLKIT_UFW_ENABLE_LOGGING	Enable UFW logging. Set to "yes" to configure.	no
ADMIN_TOOLKIT_REMOVE_NETWORK_MANAGER	Remove Network Manager (causes different MAC on wifi devices). Set to "yes" to configure.	no
ADMIN_TOOLKIT_HDMI_SCRIPTS	Install FullPageOS HDMI scripts for turning TV on/off. Set to "yes" to configure.	no
ADMIN_TOOLKIT_CRON_JOB	Install a cron job. Set to "yes" to configure.	no
ADMIN_TOOLKIT_CRON_USER	Cron jobs username. Default is 'pi'.	pi
ADMIN_TOOLKIT_SYSTEM_CRON	Install root user cron jobs (for auto-reboot, etc.). Set to "yes" to configure.	no
ADMIN_TOOLKIT_USER_SCRIPTS	Add custom scripts to user's home directory. Set to "yes" to configure.	no
ADMIN_TOOLKIT_USER_SCRIPTS_NAME	Username for user-defined scripts. Default is 'pi'.	pi
ADMIN_TOOLKIT_SCREEN_ROTATION	Screen rotation value. Requires GUI module and Pi 4. Options: "normal", "inverted", "left", "right".	normal

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Module: auto-hotspot

Creates a WiFi hotspot automatically when no known networks are available.

Variable	Description	Default
AUTO_HOTSPOT_NAME	Name of the hotspot network.	${DIST_NAME,,}
AUTO_HOTSPOT_PASSWORD	Hotspot WiFi password.	raspberry
AUTO_HOTSPOT_CHANNEL	WiFi channel for hotspot.	6

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Module: cockpit-install

Installs Cockpit web-based system administration interface.

Variable	Description	Default
COCKPIT_INSTALL_DISABLE_COCKPIT_SOCKET	Disable the Cockpit web socket. Useful if you have an existing Cockpit server.	no

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Module: docker

Installs Docker and Docker Compose with optional auto-start configuration.

Variable	Description	Default
DOCKER_COMPOSE	Install Docker Compose.	yes
DOCKER_ADD_USER_TO_GROUP	Add the default user to the docker group.	no
DOCKER_COMPOSE_BOOT	Start Docker Compose on boot.	yes
DOCKER_COMPOSE_BOOT_PATH	Path to docker-compose.yml for startup.	default

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Module: ffmpeg

Compiles and installs FFmpeg from source with hardware acceleration support.

Variable	Description	Default
FFMPEG_CLEANUP	Clean up FFmpeg build artifacts after installation.	yes

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Module: gui

Provides graphical user interface with X11 and GPU acceleration support.

Variable	Description	Default
GUI_INCLUDE_ACCELERATION	Include GPU acceleration for GUI.	yes
GUI_STARTUP_SCRIPT	Script that starts in the session. Session closes if this script ends.	xterm

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Module: kernel

Compiles custom Linux kernel from source for Raspberry Pi.

Variable	Description	Default
KERNEL_TYPE	Kernel type to build: "all" or specific types.	all
KERNEL_CONFIG_APPEND	Additional kernel configuration to append.	(empty)
KERNEL_COMMIT	Git commit/branch for kernel source.	rpi-4.19.y
KERNEL_URL	URL to fetch kernel source from.	https://github.com/raspberrypi/linux/archive
KERNEL_SOURCE_CLEANUP	Clean up kernel source after compilation.	no
KERNEL_EXPORT	Export compiled kernel artifacts.	yes
KERNEL_EXPORT_NAME	Name prefix for exported kernel.	kernel-${KERNEL_COMMIT}

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Module: mysql

Installs and configures MySQL/MariaDB database server.

Variable	Description	Default
MYSQL_USER	MySQL user account (not root, as root is CLI-only).	pi
MYSQL_USER_PASSWORD	Password for the MySQL user.	raspberry

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Module: pkgupgrade

Performs system package upgrades during image build.

Variable	Description	Default
PKGUPGRADE_DISTUPGRADE	Perform distribution upgrade. Options: "y" or "n".	y
PKGUPGRADE_DISTUPGRADE_METHOD	Upgrade method: "upgrade" or "full-upgrade".	full-upgrade
PKGUPGRADE_USE_PREINSTALLER	Use preinstaller for package upgrades. Options: "y" or "n".	n
PKGUPGRADE_PRE_INSTALL_PKGS	Packages to pre-install before upgrade.	(empty)
PKGUPGRADE_CLEANUP	Clean up APT cache after upgrade. Options: "y" or "n".	y

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Module: raspicam

Enables Raspberry Pi Camera support in the kernel.

This module has no configurable variables.

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Module: readonly

Configures the root filesystem as read-only for SD card longevity.

This module has no configurable variables.

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Module: usage-statistics

Collects anonymous usage statistics for CustomPiOS distributions.

Variable	Description	Default
USAGE_STATISTICS_URL	URL of the tracking server for anonymous statistics.	https://custompios-tracking.gnethomelinux.com
USAGE_STATISTICS_VERSION_FILE	File path that stores the distro version.	/etc/${DIST_NAME,,}_version
USAGE_STATISTICS_VARIANT_FILE	File path that stores the distro variant.	/etc/dist_variant

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Module: usbconsole

Enables USB serial console for headless debugging.

This module has no configurable variables.

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Note: This table represents the latest devel branch of CustomPiOS. Variable availability and defaults may change between versions. Always refer to the specific CustomPiOS commit SHA you're using in your builds.

Last Updated: 2026-01-17 CustomPiOS Version: 2.0.0 (devel)