# meta-ros

**Repository Path**: mirrors_ros/meta-ros

## Basic Information

- **Project Name**: meta-ros
- **Description**: OpenEmbedded Layers for ROS 1 and ROS 2
- **Primary Language**: Unknown
- **License**: MIT
- **Default Branch**: master
- **Homepage**: None
- **GVP Project**: No

## Statistics

- **Stars**: 0
- **Forks**: 0
- **Created**: 2020-08-18
- **Last Updated**: 2026-02-21

## Categories & Tags

**Categories**: Uncategorized

**Tags**: None

## README

# meta-ros

This is a series of OpenEmbedded layers designed to add support for the Robot 
Operating System (ROS) for embedded Linux releases by the Yocto Project.

It enables developers to create custom, Linux-based robotic systems, taking 
advantage of capabilities of ROS and the flexibility of the Yocto Project.

# Supported Combinations

The following table shows the end-of-life dates for combinations of Yocto
Releases and ROS Distros.  Releases and distros not shown in the table above
can be presumed unsupported.


| Yocto Release       |              | ROS1 Distros | ROS 2 Distros    |                 |              |
| ---                 | ---          | ---          | ---              | ---             | ---          |
|                     | *(Rolling)*  | **Noetic**   | **Humble (LTS)** | **Jazzy (LTS)** | **Kilted**   |
|                     |              | May 2025     | May 2027         | May 2029        | Nov 2026     |
| **Whinlatter**      | Dec 2026     | **May 2025** | **Dec 2026**     | **Dec 2026**    | **Dec 2026** |
| Walnascar           | ~~Nov 2025~~ | ~~May 2025~~ | ~~Nov 2025~~     | ~~Nov 2025~~    | ~~Nov 2025~~ |
| Styhead             | ~~May 2025~~ | ~~May 2025~~ | ~~May 2025~~     | ~~May 2025~~    | ~~May 2025~~ |
| **Scarthgap (LTS)** | Apr 2028     | **May 2025** | **May 2027**     | **Apr 2028**    | **Dec 2026** |
| Nanbield            | ~~Apr 2024~~ | ~~Apr 2024~~ | ~~Apr 2024~~     | ~~Apr 2024~~    | ~~Apr 2024~~ |
| Mickledore          | ~~Nov 2023~~ | ~~Nov 2023~~ | ~~Nov 2023~~     | ~~Nov 2023~~    | ~~Nov 2023~~ |
| Langdale            | ~~May 2023~~ | ~~May 2023~~ | ~~May 2023~~     | ~~May 2023~~    | ~~May 2023~~ |
| **Kirkstone (LTS)** | Apr 2026     | **May 2025** | **Apr 2026**     | **Apr 2026**    | **Dec 2026** |



## Support Levels
| Value            | Definition |
| ---              | --- |
| **full**         | the configuration is fully supported |
| ~~unsupported~~    | the configuration is never built and only updated to fix breaking changes introduced upstream, eg [master] of a component’s repository being renamed to [main] or git:// needing to be replaced by https:// |
| <sup>1</sup> best-effort  | the configuration has an EOL-ed ROS distro or OpenEmbedded release series, which means only a “best effort” will be made to have all its packages build |
| <sup>2</sup> contrib        | the configuration has been contributed and is not built |


# Getting Started

The easiest way to get started with ROS with OpenEmbedded is to build the combination
of Kirkstone (Yocto Project) with Humble (ROS 2).

You may use the kas tool to clone the necessary git repositories and kick off the build.

Instructions can be found here: https://github.com/ros/meta-ros/tree/build/kas/README.md

# Repository Layout

## Branches

The `master` branch follows the Yocto Project release series currently under
development.

The branches named after Yocto releases track updates during their support
lifecycle.  The commit history on these branches is linear.

The `-next` branches  contain commits that are pending being merged into their
corresponding unsuffixed branches.  The commit history on these branches may
get rewritten as patches are tested and revised.

The `build` branch contains the mcf tool which can be used for creating an 
environment using the .mcf configuration files.  These files may be found in the
files, files-contrib, and files-unsupported directories in the `build` branch.

## Tags

Information on past meta-ros milestone releases can be found on the meta-ros 
GitHub wiki: https://github.com/ros/meta-ros/wiki/Superflore-OE-Recipe-Generation-Scheme#milestones 

The last official milestone was Milestone 17 on 2022-06-05.

Milestones provide updates for all supported combinations of OpenEmbedded 
releases and ROS Distributions. They follow the format `<BRANCH>/milestones/<N>`.

## ROS Layers

The `meta-ros-common` layer provides recipes that are common to all ROS 
distributions.  This typically includes 3rd party libraries and tools needed by 
ROS as well as ROS-specific image and package group recipes.

The ROS distros each have their own sub-directory containing a layer inside each
branch.  This contains bitbake configuration files that describe the ROS distro
including which packages from ROS may be built.  The recipes generated by the 
superflore tool may be found in the `recipes-*` directories.  When changes are 
required against the generated recipes, the bbappend files are created in 
`recipes-bbappends`.

# History

The original implementation of `meta-ros` for ROS 1 Indigo Igloo
(<https://github.com/bmwcarit/meta-ros>) was transferred here on 2019-06-25. 

The initial port of ROS 2 port was undertaken by Erle Robotics.  Their work was
shared at [this repository](https://github.com/erlerobot/meta-ros2/) and 
integrated upstream into `meta-ros`.

It
has been converted to use recipes generated by
[superflore](https://github.com/ros-infrastructure/superflore/). Please see this
[wiki page](https://github.com/ros/meta-ros/wiki/Superflore-OE-Recipe-Generation-Scheme)
for details of what was done and the current development milestones.

The original implementation has been retained in the
[`legacy`](https://github.com/ros/meta-ros/tree/legacy) branch.


# Contributing

There are many ways to contribute back to meta-ros.  This includes helping 
report build errors, writing documentation, adding support for ROS packages that
are currently skipped, and adding build-time and run-time tests for ROS
packages.

* To find details of how `meta-ros` is being developed, you may find detailed 
  information at the [meta-ros wiki](https://github.com/ros/meta-ros/wiki).

* To report a bug with `meta-ros`, we encourage you to file an 
 [issue](https://github.com/ros/meta-ros/issues).  We also welcome 
 [pull requests](https://github.com/ros/meta-ros/pulls).

* See [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) for additional information about ROS
  contribution policies.

# Join the meta-ros Community

To join the conversation about meta-ros you may find us on the forum or at our
bi-weekly working group meeting:

* [OpenEmbedded category on the ROS Discourse forum](https://discourse.ros.org/c/community-groups/openembedded/26)
* ROS OpenEmbedded Working Group ([minutes](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LqUjcu6vdlqVJO62SreCyjzddNDZhfO2n-7qYghY_cQ/edit#heading=h.3vrwbu9vio04), [meeting invites](https://groups.google.com/g/ros-openembedded-working-group-invites))