Linux Kernel Hacking Playground
Minimal environment for compiling and testing the Linux kernel with GCC, Clang/LLVM, Clangd, and QEMU.
- eth0
- /
- ubuntu-24-04
Linux Kernel Compilation Playground
Bare minimum Ubuntu 24.04 environment configured for Linux kernel compilation and QEMU testing.
Installed Toolchain & Dependencies
- Compilers & LSP:
build-essential(GCC, Make),clang,llvm,lld,clangd - Kernel Build Essentials:
bc,bison,flex,libelf-dev,libssl-dev,libncurses-dev,dwarves(pahole) - Testing:
qemu-system-x86 - IDE: VS Code (code-server) with
clangdextension pre-installed
Kernel Source Location
The Linux kernel source is available in:
/home/laborant/linux/linux(symlink)
Quickstart Commands
Navigate to the kernel directory:
cd ~/linux
1. Default Configuration
make defconfig
2. Interactive Menu Configuration
make menuconfig
3. Build Kernel with GCC
make -j$(nproc)
4. Build Kernel with LLVM / Clang
make -j$(nproc) LLVM=1
5. Generate compile_commands.json for Clangd in IDE
./scripts/clang-tools/gen_compile_commands.py
A real VM, not a container
Get root on a VM with its own kernel, so Docker, Kubernetes, and systemd just work.
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SSH from browser or CLI
Use the built-in web terminal, or connect with labctl ssh, plain ssh, scp, or rsync.
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Drive it with AI
Let Claude, Codex, or any MCP client start this playground and run commands in it.
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Expose HTTP(S) ports
Give any web app running inside the VM a public URL - for yourself or to share with others.
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Share terminals
Invite others into your terminal session, or open it yourself from another device.
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Customize with init scripts
Add shell scripts that run at boot to install packages, clone repos, or seed test data.
Read the docs →
Private networking
VMs reach the internet via NAT with no public IP; several VMs share bridge networks.
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Ephemeral or persistent
By default, VMs are destroyed when the session ends; enable persistence to keep the disks for next time.
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Built-in container registry
A private registry.iximiuz.com for every playground to share images across services and VMs.
Read the docs →