Halos - A Modern Container-Based Raspberry Pi OS for Marine and IoT Applications

Halos - A Modern Container-Based Raspberry Pi OS for Marine and IoT Applications

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Halos - A Modern Container-Based Raspberry Pi OS for Marine and IoT Applications

We’re excited to announce Halos (Hat Labs Operating System), a new Raspberry Pi OS distribution designed from the ground up for modern, web-managed server applications.

Why Halos?

When developing the HALPI2 hardware platform, we needed a distribution with modern foundations to match our hardware capabilities. The existing marine-focused distributions have served the community well, but we identified several gaps:

  • No container-based marine distributions: The marine software ecosystem is moving toward containerization, but existing distributions still rely on traditional package management and manual configuration
  • Desktop-centric design: Current options are built around the desktop paradigm, requiring a monitor and keyboard (or a remote desktop connection) for setup and management - not ideal for headless server installations on boats
  • Outdated base systems: Many distributions are based on older Debian releases, limiting access to modern software and security updates

Halos addresses these challenges with a fresh approach built on Raspberry Pi OS Lite (arm64, Trixie/Debian 13).

The Container Advantage

Halos embraces containerization through Runtipi, providing a curated app store of Dockerized apps for one-click installation of marine and general-purpose applications. Benefits include:

  • Easy installation and updates: Install apps like Signal K, Grafana, OpenCPN, and AvNav with a single click - no command line required
  • Isolation and reliability: Each app runs in its own container, preventing conflicts and making troubleshooting easier
  • Consistency across platforms: The same containerized apps work identically on different hardware
  • Simple rollback: If an update causes issues, rolling back to a previous version is straightforward
  • Resource efficiency: Containers are lightweight compared to virtual machines

The Marine App Store for Runtipi includes purpose-built containers for different marine-specific software.

Halos Marine App Store interface

The Runtipi app store provides one-click installation of containerized applications, including marine-specific software from the Marine App Store.

Web-First Management

Halos provides complete system management through web interfaces:

  • Cockpit (port 9090): System administration, monitoring, terminal access, and service management
  • Runtipi (port 80): Docker container management with app store
  • Access everything via halos.local - no need to find IP addresses

This web-first approach means you can set up and manage your entire system from any device on your network, whether on the boat or remotely.

Multiple Halos web interfaces in browser windows

Halos provides comprehensive web-based management through Cockpit and Runtipi, accessible from any device on your network.

Hardware Support

Halos is optimized for the HALPI2 hardware platform, with full driver support for:

  • CAN bus (NMEA 2000)
  • RS-485 (NMEA 0183)
  • I2C interfaces
  • Power management features

For users without HALPI2 hardware, Halos also runs on generic Raspberry Pi 4/5 hardware with all the same container and web management features.

Image Variants

Halos comes in multiple flavors:

  • Standard: Cockpit + Runtipi web management
  • Marine: Adds Marine App Store with containerized marine applications
  • Desktop: Includes the standard Raspberry Pi desktop environment

Eight total variants cover all combinations of HALPI2/generic RPi, headless/desktop, and standard/marine configurations.

Halos desktop environment

The Desktop variant includes the standard Raspberry Pi desktop environment for users who prefer traditional desktop interaction alongside web-based management.

Important: Work in Progress

⚠️ Halos is under active development and should be considered beta software. Major components, architectures, and features are subject to change without notice. We’re releasing it now to gather feedback from the community and allow early adopters to start testing.

Current known limitations:

  • Apps must be manually installed after first boot (waiting for upstream Runtipi feature)
  • WiFi configuration requires command-line tools (workaround: sudo nmtui in Cockpit terminal)
  • No unified dashboard yet (bookmark individual service ports for now)
Cockpit networking configuration interface

Cockpit provides powerful system management capabilities including networking configuration, though WiFi setup currently requires using nmtui via the terminal.

Get Started

Download: Halos releases page

Documentation: Halos README - includes setup instructions, image selection guide, and usage documentation

Requirements:

  • Raspberry Pi 4/5 (or HALPI2)
  • 16+ GB microSD card or SSD
  • Network connection

Quick start:

  1. Download your preferred image variant
  2. Flash to SD card or SSD using Raspberry Pi Imager
  3. Boot and access web interface at https://halos.local:9090
  4. Default credentials: pi/raspberry (change immediately!)
  5. On non-desktop variants, change WiFi Access Point password immediately via terminal (sudo nmtui)

What’s Next

We’re actively developing Halos and welcome feedback, bug reports, and contributions. Join us in building a modern, maintainable platform for marine electronics and Raspberry Pi server applications.

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