Overview 

We are pleased to introduce RDK8, the latest release of the newly restructured RDK stack. This architectural enhancement represents the next evolution of the application infrastructure, enabling platform-agnostic application delivery models.

RDK8 is released as a Development Preview to clearly signal the future direction of the platform to the RDK community, enabling operators and partners to align their roadmaps and investment plans accordingly.

Compared to the previous release, RDK8 introduces the following major architectural changes:

• All applications are now implemented as Firebolt DAC applications, which can be independently hosted and downloaded or sideloaded onto RDK devices. The separate application layer no longer exists.
• RDKShell is no longer used for application management. Instead, the RDK AppManager framework is used.
• The separate OSS layer has been removed. A new OSS consumption model is introduced, where open-source packages are built as part of the vendor and middleware layers.

Please review the detailed change logs and migration guidelines provided below. We welcome community feedback as we continue to evolve the stack in alignment with open standards and industry requirements.

OSS Consumption Model Overview

Building the vendor and middleware layers now produce two IPK feeds, one for the layer and one for the OSS components.

The middleware layer build then consumes two vendor IPK package feeds: VENDOR_IPK & VENDOR_OSS_IPK

In turn the image-assembler layer consumes the vendor and middleware IPK package feeds: VENDOR_IPK, VENDOR_OSS_IPK, MIDDLEWARE_IPK & MIDDLEWARE_OSS_IPK

Application Framework Overview

RDK8 introduces a modern, decoupled application framework that is a significant evolution from the RDK7 model. Applications in RDK8 are no longer tightly bound to the firmware image and are instead delivered as platform‑agnostic BOLT packages, enabling greater flexibility, faster iteration, and independent upgrades.

Key Highlights

• No Application Layer: The traditional RDK7 application layer has been removed.
• BOLT‑Based Delivery: All applications and runtimes are packaged and managed as BOLT packages.
• Platform Agnostic: Applications are no longer built per‑platform.
• Independent Upgrades: Base, runtime, and app components can be upgraded without flashing firmware.
• Faster Middleware Builds: WebKit and Libcobalt are no longer part of the middleware layer.

For a detailed explanation of the RDK8 application architecture, packaging model, and migration differences from RDK7, refer to: Applications on RDK8