androidosBuild

androidosBuild is a term used to describe a particular build of the Android operating system created from the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). It represents the compiled firmware image that a device manufacturer, carrier, or ROM developer installs on a device. Builds are identified by a build ID, a version label, and a codename corresponding to the Android release.

Typical components included in an androidosBuild are the boot image, system image, vendor image, and recovery image, running on the device's kernel. The system image contains the Android framework and apps; the vendor image contains device-specific drivers and OEM services; the boot image contains the kernel and ramdisk; the recovery image allows maintenance operations. Some builds may also include an OTA update package.

Build creation follows the AOSP build workflow. Source is retrieved from the AOSP repositories, then compiled using the Soong build system on a compatible Linux environment. Builds can be official (signed by the device manufacturer or Google) or unofficial, such as developer previews or custom ROMs. Build metadata includes a build fingerprint, build ID, and security patch level.

Deployment commonly occurs through OTA updates or direct flashing. OEMs offer factory images for flashing during device setup, while OTA packages install incrementally. Builds may be configured for different device variants (user, userdebug, eng) with varying levels of debugging features and performance optimizations.

Quality and compatibility are aided by features such as verified boot, dm-verity, and digital signatures to protect against tampering. Android updates are often versioned by API level and release name, and compatibility is maintained through Google Play services and OEM customizations, which can affect app availability and behavior on a given androidosBuild.