1page.title=Android Core Technologies
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20  <div id="qv">
21    <h2>In this document</h2>
22    <ol id="auto-toc">
23    </ol>
24  </div>
25</div>
26
27
28<p>Welcome to the Android core technologies section of the site. Here you
29can find information on common features useful to people and organizations who
30are looking to modify, contribute to, or port the Android software. This is
31"under the hood" information intended for engineers.</p>
32
33<h2 id="accessory-protocol-information">Accessories</h2>
34<p>Android devices can connect to hardware accessories, such as audio docks,
35keyboards and custom hardware, through USB or Bluetooth. This section
36describes the Android Open Accessory protocol (AOAP) for accessory hardware
37builders.</p>
38<p><a href="{@docRoot}accessories/index.html">&raquo; Accessory Protocol
39Information</a></p>
40
41<h2 id="art-technical-information">ART</h2>
42<p>The Android runtime (ART) is the heart of Android. It's a fast, ahead-of-time
43compiled runtime with modern garbage collection designed to scale.
44Android applications are compiled to Dalvik bytecode and run with ART. This
45section includes detailed information such as the Dalvik Executable format
46specification, and design information on the runtime itself.</p>
47<p><a href="{@docRoot}devices/tech/dalvik/index.html">&raquo; ART and Dalvik
48Information</a></p>
49
50<h2 id="data-usage-technical-information">Data Usage</h2>
51<p>Android's data usage features allow users to understand and control how
52their device uses network data. This section is designed for systems
53integrators and mobile operators to help explain technical details they
54should be aware of when porting Android to specific devices.</p>
55<p><a href="{@docRoot}devices/tech/datausage/index.html">&raquo; Data Usage
56Information</a></p>
57
58<h2 id="debugging">Debugging and Tuning</h2>
59<p>Android is a large and complex system. This section includes tips and tricks
60for debugging at the platform level.</p>
61<p><a href="{@docRoot}devices/tech/debug/index.html">&raquo; Debugging
62Information</a></p>
63
64<h2 id="HAL-technical-information">HAL File Reference</h2>
65<p>Android's Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) provides the interface between
66software APIs and hardware drivers. This section contains the commented code
67files of the HAL.</p>
68<p><a href="{@docRoot}devices/halref/files.html">&raquo; HAL Reference</a></p>
69
70<h2 id="kernel-technical-information">Kernel</h2>
71<p>The kernel configuration settings in this section are meant to be used as
72a base for an Android kernel configuration. All devices should have the
73options in android-base configuration enabled.</p>
74<p><a href="{@docRoot}devices/tech/kernel.html">&raquo; Kernel Information</a>
75</p>
76
77<h2 id="lowram-technical-information">Low RAM</h2>
78<p>Android supports devices with limited memory through various optimizations
79such as improved memory management, reduced system memory, and several
80build-time and kernel configuration settings.</p>
81<p><a href="{@docRoot}devices/tech/low-ram.html">&raquo; Low RAM Information</a>
82</p>
83
84<h2 id="ota-technical-information">OTA Updates</h2>
85<p>Android devices in the field can receive and install over-the-air (OTA)
86updates to the system and application software. This section describes the
87structure of update packages and the tools to build them. It is intended for
88developers building OTA updates for new and released Android devices.</p>
89<p><a href="{@docRoot}devices/tech/ota/index.html">&raquo; OTA Information</a>
90</p>
91
92<h2 id="power-technical-information">Power</h2>
93<p>Battery usage statistics are tracked by the framework. This involves
94keeping track of time spent by different device components in different states.
95</p>
96<p><a href="{@docRoot}devices/tech/power.html">&raquo; Power Information</a>
97</p>
98
99<h2 id="security-technical-information">Security</h2>
100<p>Android security comes with a variety of measures, including an application
101sandbox, SELinux, dm-verity, encryption, and more.</p>
102<p><a href="{@docRoot}devices/tech/security/index.html">&raquo; Security
103Information</a></p>
104
105<h2 id="tradefed-test-infrastructure">Trade Federation Testing Infrastructure
106</h2>
107<p>Trade Federation is a continuous test framework for running tests on
108Android devices. Trade Federation's modularity makes it straightforward to
109slot into environments with existing build, test, and reporting
110infrastructures.</p>
111<p><a href="{@docRoot}devices/tech/test_infra/tradefed/index.html">
112&raquo; Trade Federation Testing Infrastructure Overview</a></p>