Enable binder for Linux

Most Linux distributions do not have Binder IPC enabled by default, so additional steps are required to use it.

Note: The binder driver was mainlined in Linux kernel 4.17, but binderfs — which rsbinder's rsb_device tool uses to create binder devices — landed in kernel 5.0. In practice you need kernel 5.0 or later.

If you are able to build the Linux kernel yourself, you can enable Binder IPC by adding the following kernel configuration options:

CONFIG_ANDROID=y
CONFIG_ANDROID_BINDER_IPC=y
CONFIG_ANDROID_BINDERFS=y

Distribution-Specific Guides

Select your Linux distribution for detailed setup instructions:

• Arch Linux - Uses the linux-zen kernel (simplest method)
• Ubuntu Linux - Custom kernel build or module installation
• RedHat Linux - RHEL, CentOS, and Fedora instructions

Other documents related to Binder IPC

• Linux kernel's Binder Document
• Anbox Document