Start with poky-tiny, but treat it as a baseline rather than a promised image size. Define separate kernel and root-filesystem limits, build an unmodified baseline for your machine, measure what consumes space, then make one isolated configuration change at a time and retest the hardware behavior you must keep.
What poky-tiny gives you—and what it does not
The Yocto Project describes poky-tiny as an out-of-the-box starting point for creating a small distribution. Its documentation describes the result as around 5 Mbytes. That figure is approximate: the machine, Yocto release, image recipe, enabled features, artifact format and measurement boundary all affect the result. It is not a universal target or a guarantee for your board.
The practical value is the starting configuration. You adapt it into a product distribution instead of repeatedly deleting files from an ordinary desktop-oriented image. The Yocto Development Manual captures the idea plainly: “It is easiest to have something to start with when creating your own distribution.”
How do I make a Yocto image smaller?
Set the constraints before removing anything. A useful specification has two independent storage limits and a functional acceptance list.
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| Measurement | Example from Yocto guidance | What to record for your build |
|---|---|---|
| Kernel | At or below 1 Mbyte (illustrative goal) | Uncompressed kernel size, compression format and deploy artifact measured |
| Root filesystem | At or below 3 Mbytes (illustrative goal) | Filesystem directory size, packaged image size and compression format |
| Complete storage image | Not stated | Partitions, bootloader, environment data, padding and update space |
The 1-Mbyte and 3-Mbyte figures are examples in the manual, not recommendations that every device can meet. Keep the kernel and root filesystem as separate measurements; a smaller compressed archive does not prove that the uncompressed filesystem or the complete flash layout fits.
List behavior that cannot be sacrificed
- Required CPU, board and peripheral drivers.
- Bootloader hand-off, console and early-boot behavior.
- Storage controller and the filesystem used to mount the system.
- Networking, authentication and any required IPC or service startup.
- Recovery, diagnostics, watchdog and update mechanisms.
- Boot-time and runtime limits, including memory available to applications.
This list is your acceptance test. A size reduction that breaks one of these items is not an optimization.
How do I use poky-tiny?
Select the distribution in the build configuration
In build/conf/local.conf, select the distribution with:
DISTRO = "poky-tiny"The Yocto documentation also describes enabling the corresponding distribution configuration fragment. Use the method supported by the Yocto release you selected, and record that release alongside the machine and image target.
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Build a reproducible baseline
Build an initial image without your size customizations. Record:
- Exact Yocto release and layer revisions.
MACHINEvalue and the board revision.- Image recipe or target.
- Kernel and root-filesystem artifact types, compression and filesystem format.
- Measured kernel, root filesystem and complete storage-image sizes.
- Boot result and the functional checks from your acceptance list.
Without this record, later numbers can compare different machines, recipes or compression settings rather than a real change in configuration.
How do I find what is taking up space in a Yocto image?
Inspect kernel build contributors with ksize.py
Yocto documents ksize.py for reporting component sizes among kernel build objects. Use its report to identify the largest parts of the kernel before deciding which configuration symbols or drivers to revisit. Treat the output as a diagnostic view of kernel build objects, not as the size of the final compressed deploy file.
Inspect root-filesystem contributors with dirsize.py
dirsize.py reports component sizes in the root filesystem. Run it against the uncompressed filesystem tree when possible, then distinguish files that are genuinely required from those pulled in by dependencies, package recommendations or convenience tooling.
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Explore dependency reasons
The documented dependency explorer can be launched with:
bitbake -u taskexp -g <target>Use the graph to understand why a package or feature is present before removing it. A package that looks unnecessary may be required indirectly by a service, image feature or machine setting.
Keep measurement scopes explicit
For every comparison, label the object being measured: compressed deploy artifact, uncompressed kernel, root-filesystem directory, filesystem image or complete storage image. These values are not interchangeable, and the cited tools do not define one universal headline metric.
Make isolated reductions instead of a large deletion pass
Put product changes in a separate layer
Keep distribution and machine-specific customizations in your own layer rather than editing shared Yocto metadata in place. This makes changes reviewable, repeatable across releases and easier to remove when a driver or service becomes necessary.
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Change the largest measured contributor first
Use the ksize.py and dirsize.py reports to choose a target. Prefer documented device-specific options and normal Yocto metadata over opaque build hacks. Make one logically related change, rebuild, and compare it with the recorded baseline.
Use kernel configuration fragments deliberately
Configuration fragments let you express a small, reviewable kernel change. Yocto documents merge_config.sh for combining fragments, applying overrides and warning about missing configuration options. Check those warnings; a fragment that names an option absent from the selected kernel can give a false impression that a feature was disabled.
Retest after every change
- Rebuild the affected image and kernel.
- Measure kernel and root filesystem using the same boundaries as the baseline.
- Run the boot and runtime checks that correspond to the removed feature.
- Keep the change only when the size reduction and required behavior both pass.
- Record the result before making the next change.
This loop prevents a late discovery that several simultaneous removals caused one failure and makes regressions bisectable.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is the difference between poky-tiny and the tiny kernel?
poky-tiny is a distribution starting point: it shapes the user-space and distribution configuration. The kernel’s tiny type is a separate, bare-minimum kernel configuration intended as a base for very small Linux kernels. Choosing one does not automatically describe every hardware requirement of the target.
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Kernel type and machine metadata work together
The Yocto Linux Kernel Development Manual explains that LINUX_KERNEL_TYPE and KMACHINE guide the metadata search used to assemble kernel sources and configuration. BSP metadata then contributes the hardware-specific features for a board. A BeagleBone BSP example illustrates why board metadata is part of constructing a supported configuration, rather than an optional list of drivers.
Do not remove a driver solely because the kernel is “tiny”
First establish which interfaces the actual machine needs: storage, console, network, GPIO, display, input and recovery paths. Then inspect the BSP and dependency information before disabling a driver. The tiny kernel type is a minimal baseline, not evidence that a hardware feature is unused.
A repeatable optimization checklist
- Define: set kernel and root-filesystem limits plus boot, runtime and recovery requirements.
- Baseline: build
poky-tinyfor the chosen machine and record release, layers, target, artifacts and measurements. - Measure: use
ksize.py,dirsize.pyand the dependency explorer to locate contributors and reasons. - Isolate: place each product change in a separate layer or configuration fragment.
- Rebuild: make one controlled change and compare like-for-like artifacts.
- Validate: boot the device and exercise every required function.
- Iterate: keep a change log and stop when the constraints are met without losing maintainability.
Common measurement and compatibility mistakes
- Calling the approximate “around 5 Mbytes” documentation figure a guaranteed result for a particular board.
- Comparing a compressed deploy file with an uncompressed root-filesystem directory.
- Reporting a kernel number without saying whether it is compressed.
- Removing a BSP driver because the tiny kernel type appears minimal.
- Changing several layers, image features and kernel symbols at once, making the cause of a regression unknowable.
- Assuming commands or recipes from one Yocto release apply unchanged to another.
A concrete implementation also depends on the selected release, machine, boot chain, storage device, filesystem format and required feature set. Verify those details against the maintained release documentation and BSP metadata before treating any example as a compatibility claim.
The Bottom Line
Use poky-tiny to establish a small, known starting point; do not chase its approximate published size blindly. Measure kernel and root filesystem separately, follow dependencies, preserve BSP-required hardware support, and accept each reduction only after the device still meets its functional requirements.
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