Headless on Low-End ARMv7 (32-bit) Hardware

[MatrixWise]

I am writing to share a technical success for the benefit of other users community running automated trading solutions on constrained environments. I managed to successfully compile and run the IBeam Docker image, built from the official Dockerfile_armv7, on a low-power, 32-bit ARM device.

This result confirms the feasibility of running IBeam for 24/7 API gateway maintenance on minimal hardware.

Hardware Details

• Architecture: ARMv7 (32-bit)
• Memory: 1GB RAM
• Device: Low-end NAS (Embedded Linux)
• Environment: Headless (No display)
• Key Advantage: Low power consumption.

The Technical Challenge

The primary concern was the demanding nature of IBeam's dependencies on a 32-bit ARM architecture:

1. Complex Dependencies: IBeam requires packages like Rust and several Python cryptographic modules. These modules typically require extensive compilation from source, which is slow and resource-intensive on low-end ARM CPUs.
2. Headless Browser Performance: The necessary Chromium headless browser must function reliably and quickly to handle the authentication process and prevent Selenium timeouts, which is challenging on low-spec hardware.

Results and Conclusion

The Docker image successfully compiled in approximately 15 minutes and runs stably on the ARMv7 host.

The successful compilation and stable runtime is a testament to the well-optimized Dockerfile_armv7. It correctly manages the complex build process and ensures the proper ARM-specific binaries and toolchains are installed, making IBeam fully functional even with its stringent requirements for headless operation and cryptographic support.

This outcome confirms that reliable, self-hosted IBKR API solutions can be deployed on energy-efficient hardware.

[Voyz]

Hey @MatrixWise thanks for sharing all that. Are you planning to also share your outcome, or you just wanted to let people know you've succeeded in doing it?