Yocto build system: definition
The Yocto Project is a free, open-source set of tools supported by the Linux Foundation. It’s built on OpenEmbedded and maintained by a large community of contributors, from silicon vendors to software editors and developers across the stack.
Its main strength? Flexibility.
Yocto allows you to tailor your Linux build environment to your exact needs, whether you’re working on a minimal system or a complex multi-architecture platform.
6 reasons why Yocto might be the right choice
Yocto is built for scale, security, and flexibility. It’s not plug-and-play, but once configured, it becomes a powerful tool for embedded Linux development.
Here’s where Yocto shines:
- Long-Term Support (LTS): Dedicated branches like Kirkstone and Scarthgap offer up to 4 years of support.
- Security & updates: You can integrate update frameworks like RAUC or SWUpdate directly into your build.
- Multi-architecture builds: Build for ARM and x86 in parallel.
- Portable SDKs: Developers can cross-compile on x64 machines for ARM targets.
- Containerized builds: Use Docker to share build environments across teams.
- Patch management: Backport kernel features with drop-in recipes.
Where Yocto build system might fall short
Let’s be honest, Yocto build system isn’t perfect.
- Build times can be long. If you’re compiling Chromium or other large packages, expect hours of waiting unless you’ve got serious hardware.
- Learning curve is steep. You’ll need to understand recipes, meta-layers, and how to structure your build environment.
- Support is DIY. Unlike commercial distros, you’re responsible for maintaining your system, writing custom recipes, and troubleshooting issues.
But once you get past the initial setup, 90% of the process is automated. You build once, flash your image, and your device is ready to go with all configs baked in.
Why not just use an off-the-shelf distro?
It’s a fair question.
Off-the-shelf distributions like Debian or Ubuntu are stable, widely supported, and come with thousands of packages. They can help you get started quickly. Let’s stop for a moment on these frameworks.
Read our article on off-the-shelf vs custom Linux distributions
Alternatives to Yocto: Buildroot, Debian & Ubuntu
If Yocto build system feels too heavy, Buildroot might be your next best bet. It’s simpler, faster to build, and great for minimal systems. But it lacks the long-term support and scalability Yocto offers.
Debian, on the other hand, is robust and community-driven. It powers distros like Ubuntu, Raspbian, and Kali Linux. With over 65,000 packages, it’s a software-rich ecosystem. However, it’s not designed for embedded use out of the box. You’ll need to tweak it – like Raspbian does – to make it fit.
Ubuntu adds commercial support via Canonical and features like Snap and containerization. But again, it’s not tailored for embedded systems, and adapting it can be complex.
But when you’re building for embedded systems, especially in constrained environments, they often bring more baggage than benefits.
Take GNOME, for example. If you’re working with limited storage, you don’t want GNOME games or other unnecessary packages bloating your image. Yocto lets you strip your system down to the essentials, boosting performance and reducing your attack surface.
Another key advantage? Hardware portability.
Say you start with an NXP i.MX platform and later switch to Xilinx. With Yocto build system, you can reuse most of your configuration and simply swap out the board support package (BSP). Your system remains centrally managed, and your build process stays consistent.
So, should you use Yocto build system or not?
If you need full control, long-term maintainability, and hardware flexibility, Yocto is hard to beat.
However, you will surely want to speed up Yocto developments to focus on what matters most: your application.
That’s why at The Embedded Kit, we created Welma, a production-ready Yocto tailored to your device, with cybersecurity and quality features pre-integrated.
About the author
This article draws on insights shared by Chris Earls, embedded software expert at The Embedded Kit by Witekio, during his presentation at Embedded World North America in November 2025.
