Tool name
binder_linux and ashmem_linux kernel modules
Tool license
GPL v2 (Linux kernel)
Add or update?
Desired version
Whichever version ships with the runner's kernel (no specific version required — just needs to be present as loadable modules in the kernel module tree)
Approximate size
Negligible — kernel modules, no userspace packages required
Brief description of tool
The binder_linux and ashmem_linux kernel modules are required to run Android container runtimes such as Redroid on Linux hosts. Redroid runs Android as a Docker container using the host kernel directly — no CPU emulation layer — making it the most efficient way to run Android instrumented tests and performance profiling in CI.
On a native ARM64 host, Redroid runs Android ARM64 system images without any instruction-set translation overhead. This is particularly valuable for testing ARM-native apps (such as those distributed via F-Droid rather than Google Play).
We verified this gap with a probe job on ubuntu-24.04-arm (run robster7674/glucodroid actions/runs/26961310669, job Redroid Kernel Probe (ARM64), completed in 9 s):
=== /proc/filesystems (android-related) ===
(none)
=== /dev entries ===
(none)
=== kernel modules ===
(none loaded)
Runner details from that run:
- Image:
ubuntu-24.04-arm version 20260531.15
- Kernel: Ubuntu 24.04.4 LTS,
aarch64
- Region: Azure westus2
The x86_64 Ubuntu runners already ship with these modules (the KVM hardware-acceleration announcement for Android relies on this). The ARM64 image is currently missing them, leaving a gap for native ARM64 Android testing.
URL for tool's homepage
Provide a basic test case to validate the tool's functionality.
# Both of these should return results after the modules are present:
grep binder /proc/filesystems
grep ashmem /proc/misc
# And the device nodes should exist:
ls -l /dev/binder /dev/ashmem
Platforms where you need the tool
Runner images where you need the tool
(Specifically the ARM64 variant: ubuntu-24.04-arm)
Can this tool be installed during the build?
Not feasibly. The modules must be compiled into the runner's kernel or present in its module tree. If the kernel was not built with CONFIG_ANDROID_BINDER_IPC=m and CONFIG_ASHMEM=m, they cannot be loaded at runtime. Compiling them from source in a CI step would take ~10–15 minutes and require matching kernel headers, making it impractical.
Tool installation time in runtime
Zero — modprobe binder_linux && modprobe ashmem_linux is instantaneous once the modules are in the kernel tree.
Are you willing to submit a PR?
We don't have access to the runner image build pipeline, but we're happy to test any candidate image and provide feedback.
Tool name
binder_linuxandashmem_linuxkernel modulesTool license
GPL v2 (Linux kernel)
Add or update?
Desired version
Whichever version ships with the runner's kernel (no specific version required — just needs to be present as loadable modules in the kernel module tree)
Approximate size
Negligible — kernel modules, no userspace packages required
Brief description of tool
The
binder_linuxandashmem_linuxkernel modules are required to run Android container runtimes such as Redroid on Linux hosts. Redroid runs Android as a Docker container using the host kernel directly — no CPU emulation layer — making it the most efficient way to run Android instrumented tests and performance profiling in CI.On a native ARM64 host, Redroid runs Android ARM64 system images without any instruction-set translation overhead. This is particularly valuable for testing ARM-native apps (such as those distributed via F-Droid rather than Google Play).
We verified this gap with a probe job on
ubuntu-24.04-arm(run robster7674/glucodroid actions/runs/26961310669, jobRedroid Kernel Probe (ARM64), completed in 9 s):Runner details from that run:
ubuntu-24.04-armversion20260531.15aarch64The x86_64 Ubuntu runners already ship with these modules (the KVM hardware-acceleration announcement for Android relies on this). The ARM64 image is currently missing them, leaving a gap for native ARM64 Android testing.
URL for tool's homepage
Provide a basic test case to validate the tool's functionality.
Platforms where you need the tool
Runner images where you need the tool
(Specifically the ARM64 variant:
ubuntu-24.04-arm)Can this tool be installed during the build?
Not feasibly. The modules must be compiled into the runner's kernel or present in its module tree. If the kernel was not built with
CONFIG_ANDROID_BINDER_IPC=mandCONFIG_ASHMEM=m, they cannot be loaded at runtime. Compiling them from source in a CI step would take ~10–15 minutes and require matching kernel headers, making it impractical.Tool installation time in runtime
Zero —
modprobe binder_linux && modprobe ashmem_linuxis instantaneous once the modules are in the kernel tree.Are you willing to submit a PR?
We don't have access to the runner image build pipeline, but we're happy to test any candidate image and provide feedback.