How Everything Connects - Printable Version +- Orbit OS -- Forums (https://forum.orbit-os.org) +-- Forum: Development & SDKs (https://forum.orbit-os.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=7) +--- Forum: Architecture Overview (https://forum.orbit-os.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=37) +--- Thread: How Everything Connects (/showthread.php?tid=6)

How Everything Connects - admin - 03-24-2026 - Orbit OS Architecture — Platform Overview Orbit OS is a secure distributed operating system for embedded Linux devices. It transforms hardware into managed compute nodes where applications and services execute within a unified, high-performance runtime. ### Gravity RT (The Execution Engine) At the heart of Orbit OS is **Gravity RT**, the secure execution core.   **Isolation:** Enforces strict process isolation and resource limits.   **Unified API:** All system interactions go through Gravity RT regardless of origin.   **Security:** Validates cryptographic signatures for every process before execution. ### The .orb Package Model All software is distributed as **.orb** packages. These are atomic, signed units containing:   * Executable code & manifests.   * Explicit resource and permission declarations.   * Mandatory cryptographic signatures. ### Trust Model & Security Orbit OS uses a certificate-chain trust model:   **Store-Signed (Production):** Fully trusted, eligible for auto-updates and fleet-wide deployment.   **Development-Signed (SDK):** Verified for local testing and rapid iteration, but isolated from production fleet policies. ### Real-Time Developer Workflow One of Orbit OS’s unique features is **Developer Mode**.   **Direct Execution:** Developers can execute logic directly on live devices via the SDK without packaging `.orb` files first.   **Unified API Surface:** The exact same API used by production `.orb` packages (via UDS) is exposed to remote development tools (via TCP), ensuring "it works on my machine" translates perfectly to the device. ### Key Design Principles   1. **Everything is a signed .orb.**   2. **Gravity RT is the single source of truth** for execution.   3. **Store as Control Plane:** Centralized management for updates and fleet status.   4. **Real-time first:** Development against real hardware is a first-class citizen.  **View the full documentation at https://www.orbit-os.org/docs.html Orbit OS Team 2026