TheCube CORE

The CORE is the heart of TheCube. It is the runtime environment that manages everything from system boot to app communication and security.
If you think of TheCube as a small operating system, the Core is the layer that:

  • Boots and initializes the system
  • Loads and supervises apps
  • Provides the event bus for communication
  • Enforces permissions and sandboxing
  • Connects apps to hardware (sensors, display, audio, expansion ports)
  • Handles configuration, logging, and updates

This section explains how the CORE works and how developers can interact with it.

CORE Responsibilities

  • System Management
    • Boot sequence and service orchestration
    • Configuration management (network, preferences, personalities)
    • Resource monitoring and performance tuning
  • App Platform
    • App lifecycle (install, start, stop, update, remove)
    • IPC (HTTP/JSON-RPC) for communication with apps
    • Event bus for system-wide messaging
  • Hardware Abstraction
    • Unified access to I²C, SPI, UART, CAN, GPIO, NFC, sensors, display, and audio
    • CORE exposes safe APIs instead of apps touching raw hardware
  • Security
    • Sandboxing apps with systemd + Landlock rules
    • Permissions for hardware, network, and sensitive data
    • Logging and audit capabilities

Subpages

TheCube-CORE is documented across several focused pages:

  • Install — how to build, flash, and update custom CORE images
  • Architecture — block diagrams and conceptual layers
  • Boot Sequence — init order, services, and fast-boot optimizations
  • Configuration — system settings, app manifests, and preferences
  • Event Bus — how system and apps exchange messages
  • Lifecycle — install, start, stop, crash handling, health checks
  • Logging — structured logs, spdlog conventions, rotation, debugging
  • Performance — tuning for latency, resource use, and responsiveness
  • Security — sandboxing, capabilities, permissions, threat model

Next Steps

If you’re new to TheCube internals, start with Architecture to see how the CORE fits into the bigger picture.

If you’re building your own system image, jump to Install for build and flashing instructions.

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