What is the Argo OS Build Swarm?
A distributed compilation system that turns Gentoo's source-based package model into a binary-first experience. Instead of compiling packages locally (which can take hours), the swarm pre-compiles everything across multiple machines and serves ready-to-install binaries.
Result: System updates that took 4+ hours now complete in minutes.
Why Does This Matter?
- Speed: 70 cores working together vs 8 cores on one machine
- Reliability: Dual orchestrators with automatic failover
- Multi-site: Drones across 2 physical locations, connected via Tailscale
- Smart routing: Large packages go to high-core drones automatically
Components Explained
Gateway API endpoint that receives build requests and routes to the active orchestrator
Orchestrators Brain of the swarm - manages queue, assigns work, tracks status. Runs in primary/standby HA
Drones Worker machines that compile packages. Each reports cores, load, and capabilities
Sweeper Special drone that handles "dirty" rebuilds - packages needing full dep recalculation
📡 Live System Status
Component Versions
Loading versions...
Recent Build Activity
Fetching build history...
Currently Building
Checking active builds...
Blocked Packages
Checking blocked packages...
Add Packages
Chaos Engineering
Package Queue 0
Queue is empty. Add some packages!
Orchestrator
Coordinating
16
Izar
Milky Way
8
Tau-Beta
Milky Way
8
Capella
Milky Way
14
Tarn
Andromeda
24
Meridian
Andromeda
Activity Log
00:00
Simulator initialized. Add packages to begin.
Completed 0
No packages completed yet.
How the Build Swarm Works
1
Package Queue
Packages needing compilation are added to a central queue with dependency information.
2
Orchestrator Assignment
The orchestrator analyzes dependencies and assigns packages to available drones.
3
Distributed Compilation
Drones compile packages in parallel, utilizing their CPU cores efficiently.
4
Binary Upload
Completed binaries are uploaded to the binhost for distribution to all systems.
🌐 Live Network Topology & Data Flow
Watch real-time API communication between all swarm components
Online
Standby
Offline
Data Flow
Heartbeat
Orch Sync
📡 API Traffic Log
Waiting for API traffic...
🔍 Payload Inspector
Click on a log entry to inspect its payload