Arch Linux ARM Cloud Image Builder for Lima-VM - The Arch Way

This project automates the creation of an Arch Linux ARM (aarch64) cloud image suitable for use with Lima-VM on macOS and Linux hosts. It provides scripts to build, convert, and prepare images, and to generate a Lima-VM template for easy VM deployment.

Prerequisites

• Lima-VM installed on your host (macOS or Linux)
• Sufficient disk space (at least 10GB recommended)
• Internet connection (for package downloads)

Project Structure

• build.sh — Main entrypoint. Orchestrates VM setup, image build, and template generation.
• create-image.sh — Runs inside a Lima-VM. Builds the Arch Linux ARM image, installs packages, and prepares the disk.
• create-archlinux-template.sh — Generates a Lima-VM YAML template referencing the latest built image.

Usage

1. Clone this Repository

First, clone this repository and change into its directory:

git clone https://github.com/SuperGregM/archlinux-arm-lima.git
cd archlinux-arm-lima

2. Build the Image

Run the main build script from your host (macOS or Linux):

./build.sh [options]

Options:

• -v <version> or --version <version>: Set a custom version suffix for the image filename.
• -c or --compress <0|1> Enable or disable compression (default: 1 Enabled).
• -s or --sid: Use a Debian Sid VM as the build environment (default is Ubuntu).
• -k or --kill: Force delete the existing build-arch Lima VM.

Example:

./build.sh -v 1

This will:

• Start (or reuse) a Lima VM named build-arch
• Run create-image.sh inside the VM to build the Arch Linux ARM image
• Generate a Lima template YAML referencing the new image

If you run ./build.sh with no options, it will build the default version (version 0).

Note: If you reuse a version (e.g., run ./build.sh or ./build.sh -v 1 again), any previous build files for that version will be deleted before building a new image.

3. Use the Image with Lima

After a successful build, a file like archlinux.yaml will be created in the project directory. You can start a Lima VM using this template:

limactl start ./archlinux.yaml

This will launch a VM using your custom Arch Linux ARM image.

Output Files

• Images are saved in /tmp/lima/output/ (e.g., .img.xz, .qcow2.xz, .vmdk.xz)
• The Lima template is archlinux.yaml in the project directory

Notes

• The build process requires root privileges inside the build VM for disk and package operations.
• The image includes cloud-init, OpenSSH, and is pre-configured for DHCP networking.
• For troubleshooting, check the console output of each script for error messages.

License

MIT

Attribution - Inspiration (Code)

• mschirrmeister/archlinux-lima — Builds for Archlinux Lima images
• gmanka-containers/archlinuxarm — Builds for Archlinux Docker images