daryltucker/binutils

By daryltucker

•Updated 8 months ago

Standalone GNU Binutils. Pre-built for custom toolchain development.

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daryltucker/binutils repository overview

⁠Binutils Docker Images

Hermetic, standalone GNU Binutils built from source

Self-contained binutils packages (assembler, linker, objdump, etc.) for building custom toolchains or standalone use. Built on Debian base with complete binutils suite.

⁠Quick Start

# Pull the latest binutils 2.43
docker pull daryltucker/binutils:2.43-bookworm

# Use the assembler
docker run --rm -v $(pwd):/work -w /work daryltucker/binutils:2.43-bookworm \
  /opt/binutils-2.43/bin/as -o hello.o hello.s

# Use the linker
docker run --rm -v $(pwd):/work -w /work daryltucker/binutils:2.43-bookworm \
  /opt/binutils-2.43/bin/ld -o hello hello.o

⁠What is This?

These images contain standalone GNU Binutils - the fundamental tools for binary manipulation:

as - GNU Assembler
ld - GNU Linker
ar - Archive creator
objdump - Object file analyzer
ranlib - Archive indexer
nm - Symbol table viewer
strip - Symbol stripper
And more...

⁠Use Cases

⁠🔧 Custom Toolchain Building

Use these as base images when building your own GCC or other compilers:

FROM daryltucker/binutils:2.44-bookworm AS binutils-base
FROM debian:bookworm-slim
COPY --from=binutils-base /opt/binutils-2.44 /opt/binutils-2.44
# Continue with GCC build...

⁠🛠️ Standalone Binary Tools

Use binutils without a full compiler suite:

# Disassemble a binary
docker run --rm -v $(pwd):/work -w /work daryltucker/binutils:2.43-bookworm \
  /opt/binutils-2.43/bin/objdump -d mybinary

# Inspect symbols
docker run --rm -v $(pwd):/work -w /work daryltucker/binutils:2.43-bookworm \
  /opt/binutils-2.43/bin/nm -D mylib.so

⁠🏗️ Assembly Development

Direct assembly programming without a compiler:

docker run --rm -v $(pwd):/work -w /work daryltucker/binutils:2.43-bookworm \
  sh -c '/opt/binutils-2.43/bin/as -o prog.o prog.s && \
         /opt/binutils-2.43/bin/ld -o prog prog.o'

⁠Available Images

⁠Latest Versions

Tag	Binutils	Debian Base	Notes
`2.44-bookworm`	2.44	bookworm-slim	Latest stable
`2.43-bookworm`	2.43	bookworm-slim
`2.41-bullseye`	2.41	bullseye-slim
`2.40-bullseye`	2.40	bullseye-slim

⁠Full Identity Tags

Format: {HOST_ARCH}-binutils-{VERSION}-{CODENAME}-{TARGET_ARCH}

Examples:

x86_64-binutils-2.43-bookworm-x86_64 - Full native build
x86_64-binutils-2.43-bookworm-aarch64 - Cross-compile target

Short tags (like 2.43-bookworm) refer to the native x86_64 build.

⁠Image Contents

Each image contains:

/opt/binutils-{VERSION}/
├── bin/                  # All binutils executables
│   ├── as               # Assembler
│   ├── ld               # Linker
│   ├── ar               # Archive tool
│   ├── objdump          # Object analyzer
│   ├── objcopy          # Object copier
│   ├── ranlib           # Archive indexer
│   ├── nm               # Symbol lister
│   ├── strip            # Symbol stripper
│   ├── size             # Section sizer
│   ├── addr2line        # Address resolver
│   └── readelf          # ELF reader
├── lib/                 # BFD and other libraries
└── include/             # Binutils headers (for development)

⁠Usage Examples

⁠Analyze Binary Structure

docker run --rm -v $(pwd):/work -w /work daryltucker/binutils:2.43-bookworm \
  /opt/binutils-2.43/bin/readelf -h myprogram

⁠Extract Debug Info

docker run --rm -v $(pwd):/work -w /work daryltucker/binutils:2.43-bookworm \
  /opt/binutils-2.43/bin/objcopy --only-keep-debug myprogram myprogram.debug

⁠Create Static Library

docker run --rm -v $(pwd):/work -w /work daryltucker/binutils:2.43-bookworm \
  /opt/binutils-2.43/bin/ar rcs libmycode.a obj1.o obj2.o obj3.o

⁠Interactive Shell

docker run -it --rm -v $(pwd):/work -w /work daryltucker/binutils:2.43-bookworm bash
export PATH=/opt/binutils-2.43/bin:$PATH
as --version
ld --version

⁠Why Standalone Binutils?

⁠✅ Version-Specific Tooling

Need a specific binutils version for compatibility? Pull the exact version you need.

⁠✅ Hermetic Builds

Built from source on clean Debian base. No host system pollution.

⁠✅ Build Acceleration

Using pre-built binutils as a base image saves 15-20 minutes per custom toolchain build.

⁠✅ Lightweight

Much smaller than full GCC toolchain images when you only need binutils.

⁠Relationship to GCC Images

Our daryltucker/gcc images include binutils (they're all-in-one toolchains).

Use binutils images when:

Building your own custom compiler
You only need binutils tools (no compiler)
You want a specific binutils version as a foundation

Use GCC images when:

You want a complete, ready-to-use compiler toolchain
You're compiling C/C++/Fortran code
You need GCC + binutils together

⁠Building Custom Toolchains

Example Dockerfile using our binutils as a base:

FROM daryltucker/binutils:2.44-bookworm AS binutils-base

FROM debian:bookworm-slim AS builder
# Copy pre-built binutils
COPY --from=binutils-base /opt/binutils-2.44 /opt/binutils-2.44

# Install build deps
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
    build-essential curl texinfo bison flex gawk

# Download and build GCC
RUN curl -O https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/gcc/gcc-14.2.0/gcc-14.2.0.tar.xz
# ... build GCC using /opt/binutils-2.44 ...

This saves significant build time by reusing pre-built binutils.

⁠Source & Documentation

GitHub: github.com/daryltucker/gcc-docker⁠
Build System: Same hermetic build system as daryltucker/gcc
Built from: Official GNU Binutils sources
Philosophy: Self-contained, reproducible builds

⁠License

GNU Binutils is distributed under the GNU GPL. These Docker images and build configurations are provided as-is.

Last Updated: 2025-12-22
Maintained by: Daryl Tucker

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Last updated

8 months ago

docker pull daryltucker/binutils:x86_64-binutils-2.43-bookworm-aarch64