DevOps for Embedded Development: Bridging the Gap Between Software and Hardware

Fri, 08 Aug 2025 14:10:00 +0000
DevOps, Docker, Embedded Development, GitHub Actions

The world of embedded systems has traditionally been seen as distinct from mainstream software development, often characterized by manual processes, intricate hardware dependencies, and lengthy release cycles. However, as embedded systems become increasingly complex and connected, the principles of DevOps, which emphasize automation, collaboration, and continuous delivery, are proving to be not just beneficial but essential.

This article expands upon the concepts introduced in my online presentation for the Embedded Israel meetup, also available recorded.

Why DevOps for embedded?

The core promise of DevOps - faster feedback loops, automated pipelines, and increased reliability - is even more critical in embedded development. Unlike web or mobile applications, embedded systems directly interact with physical hardware, introducing unique complexities. Manual firmware flashing, plugging and unplugging cables, and delayed testing on physical boards can significantly slow down development.

By embracing DevOps, we can automate many of these historically manual steps. It means:

Faster iteration: Build once, test often, and get feedback quickly, not just on code changes but actual device behavior.

Early problem detection: Catch issues early in the development cycle, reducing the cost and effort of fixing them later.

Increased reliability and scalability: Automating testing and deployment processes leads to more stable products and enables teams to handle larger, more complex projects.

Navigating the unique challenges

While the benefits are clear, embedded DevOps comes with its own set of challenges to address:

Hardware-software integration: Code must work seamlessly with specific hardware, making simulation and automated testing more complex.

Limited resources: Microcontrollers often have severe constraints on CPU, RAM, and storage, demanding optimized code and efficient toolchains.

Real-time requirements: Many embedded systems have strict timing constraints, which continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD) setups must help verify.

Safety and reliability: In critical industries like automotive or medical, rigorous testing and certification are paramount.

Diverse hardware platforms: Teams often work with multiple hardware platforms, each with toolchains and debugging procedures.

Building the foundation: Toolchain and environment management

One of the first critical decisions in an embedded workflow is how to manage the build environment.

Native vs. virtualized builds

Native builds are straightforward for small projects, but can lead to "it works on my machine" problems due to environment drift. Virtualized builds, especially with Docker, provide a consistent and reproducible environment by locking in compiler versions, dependencies, and build scripts. This stability is crucial for CI/CD and collaborative development.

Cross-compilation and static linking

Since embedded devices often lack the resources for on-device compilation, cross-compilation is fundamental. We compile code on a more powerful host machine for the target embedded architecture. Many vendors provide official toolchains, such as Espressif's ESP-IDF for ESP32 or ARM compilers for STM32 via Buildroot or Yocto, making this process more streamlined.

Static linking is another common practice, where all necessary libraries are linked directly into the final binary. It simplifies deployment by eliminating missing library issues, but can result in larger binaries.

Emulation with QEMU

QEMU acts as a virtualizer, allowing developers to emulate embedded systems (like a Raspberry Pi or STM32)...