How MustardOS Works

MustardOS is built from a small set of layers. Most people only ever see the themed frontend. Tinkerers can change content, themes, catalogues and assignments on their card without rebuilding anything, and developers can work on a single module, service or player while keeping the same configuration rules.

The main parts

Device Layer Board specific display, audio, input, power, storage and kernel settings.

Internal Services Boot, networking, Bluetooth, audio routing, storage discovery, web services and launch scripts.

Frontend The themed menu modules used for browsing, configuration and device management. Pickles The MustardOS Libretro core player, with its pause menu and per-content settings. Wasabi The MustardOS media player for video, music, playlists, live television and radio.

RetroArch An available Libretro frontend with its own configuration and menus.

External Launchers Standalone emulators, engines, ports and utilities started through launch scripts.

Your Storage Content, saves, themes, catalogues, packages and your own configuration.

Dig deeper

Boot and Services What happens between power-on and the main menu, and the three kinds of location MustardOS uses. Read about booting Network Services Local DNS, the Web Dashboard and the optional remote access services. Read about network services Direct Link Joining two devices with network adapters or a USB-C cable for netplay and Game Link, and which devices work together. Read about Direct Link Frontend and Launching How the menu modules fit together, and what happens when you start a game or a piece of media. Read about launching Pickles and Wasabi The game player and media player built into MustardOS, and how their settings are saved. Read about the players Where Things Live Every folder MustardOS uses on the device and on your card, and what each one holds. Read about storage Extending MustardOS Adding systems, themes, catalogues and software without changing the frontend itself. Read about extending