Documentation

Getting Started

1. Installation
Download and install Universal Live Builder (ULB):
https://universal-live-builder.github.io/website/download.html

2. Project Initialization
Create a new ULB project:
ulb init

Project Structure:
profiles/
scripts/
system/
ulb/releases/

• profiles/ — .toml configuration files
• scripts/ — custom pre.sh / post.sh scripts
• system/ — additional system files (e.g., themes, logos)
• ulb/releases/ — ready-made ISO or rootfs images go here

3. First Run
Simple build example:
ulb build example
Interactive mode with GUI:
ulb ui [RECOMMENDED]

Installation

Step-by-step guide to installing ULB on your system, including prerequisites and setup instructions.

Configuration

Each ULB project profile is a .toml file that describes what your system should look like. Example — /profiles/mydistro.toml:

base = "debian:testing"
name = "My Distribution"
version = "0.1"
architecture = "amd64"
system_type = "classic"
packages = ["neofetch", "nano", "htop"]

[repos]
custom = ["deb http://deb.debian.org/debian testing main contrib non-free"]
gpg_keys = ["https://ftp-master.debian.org/keys/archive-key-12.asc"]

[scripts]
pre = "scripts/pre.sh"
post = "scripts/post.sh"

[output]
type = "iso"
label = "MyDistro-Live"
compression = "xz"
                    

Available Configuration Fields

Key	Type	Description
base	String	Distribution Base (e.g., debian:testing, ubuntu:noble, arch, opensuse:leap)
name	String	System name
version	String	Version number
architecture	String	CPU architecture (amd64, arm64, riscv64)
system_type	String	System type (classic / ostree)
packages	Array	List of packages to install
[repos]	Section	Additional repositories
[scripts]	Section	Paths to pre and post scripts
[output]	Section	Output format (iso, rootfs, tar.gz)

Pre/Post Scripts

• scripts/pre.sh — executed before building (e.g., environment modifications)
• scripts/post.sh — executed after installing packages (e.g., branding, wallpapers, logos)

Advanced Usage

Explore advanced features and customization options to enhance your ULB experience.

FAQ

Find answers to common questions about ULB and troubleshooting tips.