BalenaOS Support Enabled for RK3588 Platform - Flash and Deploy Docker Application Guide on Vicharak's Axon Single Board Computer

General
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Flash and Deploy Docker Application Guide on Vicharak’s Axon Single Board Computer

  • This guide explains how to flash BalenaOS on Axon devices using balenaCloud, balenaCLI, and balenaEtcher, as well as how to deploy your Docker-based application.

1. Download Axon Balena Image

Obtain the prebuilt Axon BalenaOS image from the link below:-
Download Balena OS Axon Image

  • Make sure to untar image properly.

2. Log in to balenaCloud

Open the balenaCloud dashboard:

:point_right: https://dashboard.balena-cloud.com/

:bulb: Note:
The BalenaCloud dashboard is a web-based interface that allows users to manage IoT fleets and devices running on BalenaOS. It provides centralized control for deploying applications, monitoring devices, and managing user access.

3. Install balenaCLI

Download and install balenaCLI from the official repository:

:point_right: balena-cli Installation Guide

4. Log in via balenaCLI ( Linux )

Use the CLI to log in:

./balena login

Expected output:

vicharak balena-cli > ./balena login
 _            _
| |__   __ _ | |  ____  _ __    __ _
| '_ \ / _` || | / __ \| '_ \  / _` |
| |_) | (_) || ||  ___/| | | || (_) |
|_.__/ \__,_||_| \____/|_| |_| \__,_|

Logging in to balena-cloud.com
? How would you like to login? Credentials
? Email:

5. Create an Organization in Balena-Cloud

  • Navigate to the Organization tab
  • Click Create Organization
  • Fill in the required fields

You’ll see a new submenu with the name you assigned to your organization.

Fleets Overview

Fleets allow you to:

  • Organize devices under groups
  • Deploy applications across multiple devices
  • Configure settings globally (e.g., environment variables)
  • Scale efficiently for production

6. Create Fleet in Balena-Cloud

  1. Click on the Fleets tab
  2. Enter the required details ( Select : ROCK Pi 4B Board)
  3. Click Create Fleet

7. Add Devices in Balena Cloud

  1. Click Add Device in the fleet view
  2. Select:
    • Device Type ( ROCK Pi 4B )
    • OS Version
    • Network type (Wi-Fi/Ethernet)
  3. Click Download Configuration

8. Configure Image with balenaCLI

Copy the downloaded .config file into the source directory of balenaCLI.

Run the following command to configure and write the image to SD card:

./balena os configure <path-to-img> -f <Slug_Name> --device-type rockpi-4b-rk3399 --config <Downloaded_Config.json_file> --version 1

9. Flash Image to SD Card

Use balenaEtcher to flash the configured image to SD card.

  1. Open balenaEtcher
  2. Select the configured image
  3. Select the SD card
  4. Click Flash!

10. Boot and Install to Axon eMMC

  1. Insert the SD card into your Axon device
  2. Power on the Axon

:warning: IMPORTANT:
This will flash the image to Axon’s eMMC. Ensure all critical data is backed up using the vicharak-config utility.

11. Auto Power-off & eMMC Boot

  • After flashing, Axon will automatically power off
  • Remove the SD card
  • Press Power again
  • Axon will now boot directly from eMMC

Note :
Make sure, Ethernet is connected to Axon.

12. Device Appears in balenaCloud Dashboard

  • Your device will now be listed under the selected <Fleet> in balenaCloud
  • Confirm the device is online and connected

:bulb: Note:
You can verify using:

./balena fleet list

Output example:

ID      NAME        SLUG        DEVICE TYPE      DEVICE COUNT ONLINE DEVICES
<ID> <FLEET_NAME> <SLUG_NAME>  rockpi-4b-rk3399  1            1

13. Terminal Access via Dashboard

Use the balenaCloud terminal to access the Axon device remotely via browser-based shell.

14. Deploy Docker Application :whale:

If you have a Docker-based app ready, deploy it using this command:

./balena deploy <SLUG_NAME> -s <Application_Folder_with_Dockerfile>

Example output:

[Info]    Everything is up to date (use --build to force a rebuild)
[Info]    Creating release...
[Info]    Pushing images to registry...
[Info]    Saving release...
[Success] Deploy succeeded!
[Success] Release: a8bcaaab006953868ae352062af3670e

🎉 Your app is now deployed!


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15. Select Target Device

  • On balenaCloud, go to the terminal UI
  • Click “Select a Target” to choose which device you want to interact with for deployment or testing

Done!

You’re now running BalenaOS on Axon with full fleet management and app deployment capabilities using balenaCloud.

Reference :