Droidspaces is a lightweight, portable Linux containerization tool that lets you run full Linux environments on top of Android or Linux, with complete init system support including systemd and OpenRC.
What makes Droidspaces unique is its zero-dependency, native execution on both Android and Linux. It's statically compiled against musl libc. If your device runs a Linux kernel, Droidspaces runs on it. No Termux, no middlemen, no setup overhead.
- Tiny footprint: under 200KB per platform
- Truly native: runs directly on Android and Linux from the same binary
- Wide architecture support:
aarch64,armhf,x86_64, andx86as a single static binary - Beautiful Android app: manage unlimited containers and do everything the CLI can, all from a clean, intuitive GUI
Android + Linux Namespaces = Droidspaces. Since Android is built on the Linux kernel, Droidspaces works seamlessly on Linux Desktop too. Both platforms are equally supported and maintained.
View Project's Screenshots (Linux & Android)
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Linux Showcase Linux Mint in volatile + --hw-access + foreground mode  |
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Android Home Beautiful home screen 
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Android Containers 3 containers installed in the container menu 
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- What is Droidspaces?
- Features
- Droidspaces vs Chroot
- Droidspaces vs LXC/Docker on Android
- Requirements
- Tested Platforms
- Installation
- Usage
- Additional Documentation
- To-do
Droidspaces is a container runtime that uses Linux kernel namespaces to run full Linux distributions with a real init system (systemd or OpenRC) as PID 1.
Unlike traditional chroot, which simply changes the apparent root directory, Droidspaces creates proper process isolation. Each container gets its own PID tree, its own mount table, its own hostname, its own IPC resources, and its own cgroup hierarchy. The result is a full Linux environment that feels like a lightweight virtual machine, but with zero performance overhead because it shares the host kernel directly.
Droidspaces is designed to work natively on both Android and Linux Desktop. On Android, it handles all the kernel quirks, SELinux conflicts, and encryption gotchas that break other container tools. On Linux Desktop, it works out of the box with no additional configuration needed.
The entire runtime is a single static binary under 150KB, compiled against musl libc with no external dependencies.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Init System Support | Run systemd or OpenRC as PID 1. Full service management, journald logging, and proper boot/shutdown sequences. |
| Namespace Isolation | Complete isolation via PID, MNT, UTS, IPC, and Cgroup namespaces. Each container has its own process tree, mount table, hostname, IPC resources, and cgroup hierarchy. |
| Network Isolation | 3 Networking Modes (Host, NAT, None). Pure network isolation via CLONE_NEWNET (NAT/None modes) or shared host networking (Host mode). Works on both Android and Linux. |
| Port Forwarding | Forward host ports to the container in NAT mode (e.g., --port 22:22). Supports TCP and UDP. |
| Volatile Mode | Ephemeral containers using OverlayFS. All changes are stored in RAM and discarded on exit. Perfect for testing and development. |
| Custom Bind Mounts | Map host directories into containers at arbitrary mount points. Supports both chained (-B a:b -B c:d) and comma-separated (-B a:b,c:d) syntax, up to 16 mounts. |
| Config File Support | Load configurations directly from .config files using --conf. Integrates seamlessly with the CLI overrides (--reset is supported) and automatically syncs to the workspace for persistence. |
| Hardware Access Mode | Expose host hardware (GPU, cameras, sensors, USB) to the container via devtmpfs. Enables GPU acceleration with Turnip + Zink / Panfrost on supported Android devices. PulseAudio is also supported in Android |
| Multiple Containers | Run unlimited containers simultaneously, each with its own name, PID file, and configuration. Start, stop, enter, and manage them independently. |
| In-container Reboot Support | Handles in-container reboot(2) syscalls via a strict 3-level PID hierarchy to autonomously reinitialize the container sequence - TL;DR: you can restart the container remotely without touching Droidspaces! |
| Android Storage | Bind-mount /storage/emulated/0 into the container for direct access to the device's shared storage. |
| PTY/Console Support | Full PTY isolation. Foreground mode provides an interactive console with proper terminal resize handling (binary only with the -f flag) |
| Multi-DNS Support | Configure custom DNS servers (comma-separated) that bypass the host's default DNS lookup. |
| IPv6 Support | Enable IPv6 networking in containers with a single flag. |
| SELinux Permissive Mode | Optionally set SELinux to permissive mode during container boot if needed. |
| Rootfs Image Support | Boot containers from ext4 .img files with automatic loop mounting, filesystem checks, and SELinux context hardening if needed. The Android app also supports creating portable containers in rootfs.img mode [ How to create an ext4 rootfs.img manually ? ] |
| Auto-Recovery | Automatic stale PID file cleanup, container scanning for orphaned processes, and robust config resurrection via in-memory metadata syncing from /run/droidspaces. |
| Cgroup Isolation | Per-container cgroup hierarchies (/sys/fs/cgroup/droidspaces/<name>) with full systemd compatibility. Supports both cgroup v1 and v2. |
| Adaptive Seccomp Shield | Kernel-aware BPF filter that resolves FBE keyring conflicts and prevents VFS deadlocks for systemd containers on legacy Android kernels (< 5.0). Automatically grants full namespace freedom to non-systemd containers (Alpine/OpenRC), enabling features like nested containers/Docker. |
| Feature | Chroot | Droidspaces |
|---|---|---|
| Init System | No. Cannot run systemd or OpenRC. | Yes. Full systemd/OpenRC support as PID 1. |
| Process Isolation | None. Shares the host PID space. | Full. Private PID namespace with its own PID tree. |
| Filesystem Isolation | Partial. Only changes the apparent root. | Full. Uses pivot_root with a private mount namespace. |
| Mount Isolation | None. Mount events propagate to the host. | Full. MS_PRIVATE prevents mount propagation. |
| Cgroup Support | None. | Yes. Per-container cgroup hierarchies. |
| Resource Accounting | None. | Yes. Via cgroup isolation. |
| Service Management | Manual. Must start services individually. | Automatic. systemd manages the full service lifecycle. |
| Hostname Isolation | None. Shares the host hostname. | Yes. UTS namespace provides independent hostname. |
| IPC Isolation | None. Shares System V IPC. | Yes. IPC namespace for semaphores and shared memory. |
| Ephemeral Containers | Not possible. | Yes. Volatile mode via OverlayFS. |
| Aspect | LXC/Docker | Droidspaces |
|---|---|---|
| Dependencies | Many (liblxc, runc, containerd, etc.) | Zero. Single static binary. |
| Setup Complexity | High. Requires Termux, cross-compiled libraries, manual config files. | Low. Download and install the APK, then run it on Android; download, extract, and run it on Linux. |
| Older kernels Support | Spotty. Many features break on older kernels. | Full. Adaptive seccomp shield handles kernel quirks. |
| Network Isolation | Broken on Android. Even with all kernel configs enabled, network isolation with internet access never works. | First-in-Class. Perfectly handles network isolation with internet access on Android out of the box. |
| Binary Size | 10MB+ (plus dependencies) | Under 150KB per architecture. |
| Android Optimizations | None. Not designed for Android. | Yes. SELinux handling, FBE keyring management, storage integration, networking fixes |
| Termux Required | Often. Used as the execution environment. | Never. Runs directly as a native binary. |
| Nested Containers | Complex setup required. | Supported natively on 5.x+. On legacy kernels (< 5.0), supported only in non-systemd containers (Alpine) with kernel-level caveats. |
| Init System | LXC = yes, Docker = no. | Always. systemd/OpenRC as PID 1 by default. |
Droidspaces supports Android devices running Linux kernel 3.18 and above:
| Kernel Version | Support Level | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 3.18 | Supported | Legacy. Minimum floor. Basic namespace support. systemd-based distros may be unstable; Alpine is recommended. |
| 4.4 - 4.19 | Stable | Hardened. Full support via Adaptive Seccomp Shield. Distros newer than Ubuntu 22.04-era are not recommended. |
| 5.4 - 5.10 | Recommended | Mainline. Full feature support including nested containers and Cgroup v2. |
| 5.15+ | Premium | Full. Best performance and maximum compatibility with all modern distributions. |
Your device must be rooted. The following rooting methods have been tested:
| Root Method | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| KernelSU-Next | Fully Supported | Tested and stable. Recommended. |
| APatch | Not Supported | Init system fails to start. |
| Magisk | Planned | Testing has not yet been conducted. |
Android kernels are often heavily modified and may have critical container features disabled. Your kernel must have specific configuration options enabled (Namespaces, Cgroups, Seccomp, etc.) to run Droidspaces.
Covers kernels: 3.18, 4.4, 4.9, 4.14, 4.19. These kernels work plug-and-play after adding the required config fragments. See: Legacy Kernel Configuration
Covers kernels: 5.4, 5.10, 5.15, 6.1+. These kernels require additional steps to handle ABI breakage caused by configuration changes. See: Modern GKI Kernel Configuration
Next Steps for Kernel Support:
- Check automatically: Use the built-in requirements checker in the Android app (Settings -> Requirements).
- Full Technical Guide: Kernel Configuration Guide
Tip
Need help compiling a kernel? Check out this guide:
Most modern Linux desktop distributions already include all the requirements needed by Droidspaces by default. No additional configuration is needed.
Just download the tarball from the GitHub Releases, extract it, and use the binary for your CPU architecture.
You can verify your system meets all requirements by running:
sudo ./droidspaces checkDroidspaces is brand-agnostic and distribution-agnostic. Regardless of your mobile device's brand or your desktop Linux distribution, Droidspaces will work as long as your kernel meets the required configuration.
For the list of devices and distributions verified by the community, see the Tested Platforms Guide.
| Document | Description |
|---|---|
| Feature Deep Dives | Detailed explanation of each major feature. |
| Troubleshooting | Common issues and their solutions. |
| Uninstallation Guide | How to remove Droidspaces from your system. |
The following features are planned for future development. Contributions and Pull Requests are highly welcome!
- Network Namespace Support: Add explicit support for
CLONE_NEWNETand veth bridging for dedicated per-container networking, instead of host-shared networking.
Droidspaces is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0.
Copyright (C) 2026 ravindu644 and contributors.
Contributions are welcome. Please open an issue or pull request on the GitHub repository.
For questions or support, join the Telegram channel.