BootloaderFrameworks

BootloaderFrameworks is a cross-platform, modular framework for building bootloaders used in embedded devices and systems that require early initialization of hardware and software stacks. It provides a common core and a set of platform abstractions to streamline the creation of stage-1 and stage-2 loaders, image verification, and environment management across diverse hardware platforms.

Architecture comprises a portable boot core, a platform abstraction layer, and a modular extension system. Platform adapters implement hardware-specific concerns such as storage interfaces (SPI flash, eMMC, NVMe), memory controllers, and early-board initialization. The boot core enforces a defined boot sequence, while extensions register drivers, protocols, and hooks that can be composed without rebuilding the core.

Key features include secure boot support with cryptographic verification and signed images, support for chain loading, and flexible scripting or configuration for boot flows. It supports multiple image formats, device trees or ACPI tables for hardware description, and multiple storage backends alongside environment and fallback mechanisms. Debugging facilities and a deterministic build process aid reproducibility.

Typical use cases are consumer electronics, IoT devices, automotive ECUs, and other embedded systems where a reliable, auditable boot sequence is critical. BootloaderFrameworks integrates with common build systems and toolchains, supports multi-architecture targets such as ARM, AArch64, x86, and RISC-V, and aims to be interoperable with established standards while allowing project-specific customizations.

The project is open source with permissive licensing, community governance, and contribution guidelines. Documentation covers architecture, API references, platform adapters, and migration paths from older bootloaders. Related topics include bootloaders, secure boot, and device tree or ACPI hardware descriptions.