This is how Port Forwarding Works in NAT Mode
When a container runs in NAT mode, its network is completely isolated with a private IP (like
Port forwarding solves this by creating a mapping between a port on the phone's own IP (which IS visible to your local network) and a port inside the container.
For example, mapping phone port 22 → container port 22 means:
When someone on your network SSHes into <phone-ip>:22, the phone intercepts that connection and transparently forwards it into the container - as if the container were directly reachable.
The container itself never needs a public IP. The phone acts as the gateway.
When a container runs in NAT mode, its network is completely isolated with a private IP (like
172.28.33.133) that only the phone knows about. Other devices on your local network - and even your router - have no idea this private network exists, so trying to SSH directly into the container's IP from another device will simply fail.Port forwarding solves this by creating a mapping between a port on the phone's own IP (which IS visible to your local network) and a port inside the container.
For example, mapping phone port 22 → container port 22 means:
Another Device ──► Router ──► Phone (your real IP) ──► Container (172.28.x.x)When someone on your network SSHes into <phone-ip>:22, the phone intercepts that connection and transparently forwards it into the container - as if the container were directly reachable.
The container itself never needs a public IP. The phone acts as the gateway.
Droidspaces v5.3.0-pre-release
https://github.com/ravindu644/Droidspaces-OSS/releases/tag/v5.3.0-pre-release
This will be the last release from the
What's in this release:
- Universal, fully working network isolation, with a DHCP server for assigning IPs AND a daemon that watches network changes in real time to ensure 99.999% uptime. Works on both Android and Linux - tested on kernels 4.14 to 6.19 🗿
- Cgroups won't be isolated on kernels lower than 5.2. This makes it possible to run Ubuntu 24.04 and other semi-modern distros on older kernels with 100% compatibility. I'm literally running Ubuntu 24.04 with 100% systemd health on my old 4.14.113 kernel.
- Fixed CTRL+ALT+Q tends to reboot in foreground mode.
- More misc. improvements that I can't remember.
Notes: The upstream interface is the interface that has internet access, such as
Connect to Wi-Fi → Select the interface that appears → Disable Wi-Fi and connect to mobile data → Press the refresh button in that menu → Select the interface(s) that appear.
https://github.com/ravindu644/Droidspaces-OSS/releases/tag/v5.3.0-pre-release
This will be the last release from the
network-isolation branch. Once you guys test everything and confirm it’s working, I’m going to merge network isolation into the main branch and take a break from development for a while 😇What's in this release:
- Universal, fully working network isolation, with a DHCP server for assigning IPs AND a daemon that watches network changes in real time to ensure 99.999% uptime. Works on both Android and Linux - tested on kernels 4.14 to 6.19 🗿
- Cgroups won't be isolated on kernels lower than 5.2. This makes it possible to run Ubuntu 24.04 and other semi-modern distros on older kernels with 100% compatibility. I'm literally running Ubuntu 24.04 with 100% systemd health on my old 4.14.113 kernel.
- Fixed CTRL+ALT+Q tends to reboot in foreground mode.
- More misc. improvements that I can't remember.
Notes: The upstream interface is the interface that has internet access, such as
wlan0 or rmnet0. The app can auto-detect upstream networks - all you need to do is:Connect to Wi-Fi → Select the interface that appears → Disable Wi-Fi and connect to mobile data → Press the refresh button in that menu → Select the interface(s) that appear.
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New release with new fixes:
https://github.com/ravindu644/Droidspaces-OSS/releases/tag/v5.3.1-pre-release
https://github.com/ravindu644/Droidspaces-OSS/releases/tag/v5.3.1-pre-release
GitHub
Release Droidspaces v5.3.1-pre-release · ravindu644/Droidspaces-OSS
What's Changed
docs: Add a new row to the comparison table detailing network isolation capabilities. (23f7083)
docs: Add troubleshooting for NAT mode internet access with IPv6-only upstream. (...
docs: Add a new row to the comparison table detailing network isolation capabilities. (23f7083)
docs: Add troubleshooting for NAT mode internet access with IPv6-only upstream. (...
Thanks to the latest changes around cgroups in Droidspaces,
legacy kernel users can now run relatively modern Systemd on older kernels like 4.14 as well..!
As you can see in this screenshot, I'm running Ubuntu 25.04 without any issues - 0 failed units, no "Operation not permitted", or "Function not implemented" type of nonsense.
So basically, you can run anything below Systemd v258, since they nuked the legacy code for older kernels there, which specifically blocks legacy kernels in the first place 🤡
legacy kernel users can now run relatively modern Systemd on older kernels like 4.14 as well..!
As you can see in this screenshot, I'm running Ubuntu 25.04 without any issues - 0 failed units, no "Operation not permitted", or "Function not implemented" type of nonsense.
So basically, you can run anything below Systemd v258, since they nuked the legacy code for older kernels there, which specifically blocks legacy kernels in the first place 🤡
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Added the ability to completely lift the cgroup v1 restriction, even on older kernels, so users aren’t artificially blocked from using cgroup v2 🗿
Droidspaces v5.4.2-hotfix
https://github.com/ravindu644/Droidspaces-OSS/releases/tag/v5.4.2-hotfix
this release fixes:
- "Operation not permitted" ping failure in NAT mode
- Running
https://github.com/ravindu644/Droidspaces-OSS/releases/tag/v5.4.2-hotfix
this release fixes:
- "Operation not permitted" ping failure in NAT mode
- Running
login from terminating the shell when using the droidspaces enter modeAs the project is now stable,
I'm stepping back from Droidspaces development until September 2026.
I need to focus the next five months on my studies.
If you encounter any bugs, please report them before 10 PM GMT+5:30.
The
I'm stepping back from Droidspaces development until September 2026.
I need to focus the next five months on my studies.
If you encounter any bugs, please report them before 10 PM GMT+5:30.
The
final-net-isolation branch will be merged into the main branch as it is stable, and the project will remain on my GitHub for some time.❤5👍2
Droidspaces
Droidspaces v5.4.2-hotfix https://github.com/ravindu644/Droidspaces-OSS/releases/tag/v5.4.2-hotfix this release fixes: - "Operation not permitted" ping failure in NAT mode - Running login from terminating the shell when using the droidspaces enter mode
Hotfix for this issue in the app:
https://github.com/ravindu644/Droidspaces-OSS/releases/tag/v5.4.2-hotfix
https://github.com/ravindu644/Droidspaces-OSS/releases/tag/v5.4.2-hotfix
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Droidspaces
Thanks to the latest changes around cgroups in Droidspaces, legacy kernel users can now run relatively modern Systemd on older kernels like 4.14 as well..! As you can see in this screenshot, I'm running Ubuntu 25.04 without any issues - 0 failed units, no…
Ubuntu 25.10 is barely working with 0 failed units on an older Linux 4.14.113 💀
Even this setup is currently stable "for now" - if Ubuntu releases a systemd update that upgrades systemd to v258+, the container will be cooked.
All of this is currently possible because, as of 2026-03-09, Ubuntu 25.10 uses systemd v257.9.
Only 0.1 more is needed to turn the container into a paperweight.
Even this setup is currently stable "for now" - if Ubuntu releases a systemd update that upgrades systemd to v258+, the container will be cooked.
All of this is currently possible because, as of 2026-03-09, Ubuntu 25.10 uses systemd v257.9.
Only 0.1 more is needed to turn the container into a paperweight.
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Droidspaces v5.5.0 has been released!
What is Droidspaces in the first place? 👀
Droidspaces is a lightweight, portable Linux containerization tool that lets you run full Linux environments on top of Android or Linux, with complete init system support including systemd, OpenRC, and other init systems like runit and s6.
What makes Droidspaces unique is its zero-dependency, native execution on both Android and Linux. It is statically compiled against musl libc. If your device runs a Linux kernel, Droidspaces runs on it. No Termux, no middlemen, no setup overhead.
[screenshots]
This will be the final release of Droidspaces. Since the project is stable, I have decided to go back to zen mode 🌀
The primary goal of designing Droidspaces was to run Ubuntu 22.04 on my broken Galaxy S10. Since it has 256GB of storage, I can store my music collection on it and stream from anywhere in the world.
I already did this when I was away from development in January, but I was not satisfied because the original Droidspaces was so messed up it could not even boot systemd containers on my S10, which has Kernel 4.14.113 and It was limited to run Alpine Linux only.
Throughout February, I rewrote it from scratch; After a whole month of testing, debugging, and hardening security and isolation, it is finally ready.
By installing this latest release, you will be able to:
- Install containers up to Ubuntu 25.10 / Systemd v257.9 on legacy kernels like 4.14, without any issues, and with zero failed jobs in systemctl thanks to the latest cgroups-related changes.
- Enjoy full networking isolation with three network modes, including port forwarding support in NAT mode with a tiny DHCP server and real-time monitoring for network changes to switch between Wi-Fi and Data instantly, with almost 100% uptime.
- Use native GPU acceleration on Intel and AMD graphics in Desktop Linux, as well as out-of-the-box Termux X11 and virgl support on Android.
- Fixed terminal handling when using the
Additional security and misc. improvements have been made across both the C backend and the app.
The app can do everything the C backend does right now, perfectly balanced ❤️
https://github.com/ravindu644/Droidspaces-OSS/releases/tag/v5.5.0
Everything you need to know is already documented in the project's readmes.
I will take a little break from this project now :)
@Droidspaces x @ravindu
What is Droidspaces in the first place? 👀
Droidspaces is a lightweight, portable Linux containerization tool that lets you run full Linux environments on top of Android or Linux, with complete init system support including systemd, OpenRC, and other init systems like runit and s6.
What makes Droidspaces unique is its zero-dependency, native execution on both Android and Linux. It is statically compiled against musl libc. If your device runs a Linux kernel, Droidspaces runs on it. No Termux, no middlemen, no setup overhead.
[screenshots]
This will be the final release of Droidspaces. Since the project is stable, I have decided to go back to zen mode 🌀
The primary goal of designing Droidspaces was to run Ubuntu 22.04 on my broken Galaxy S10. Since it has 256GB of storage, I can store my music collection on it and stream from anywhere in the world.
I already did this when I was away from development in January, but I was not satisfied because the original Droidspaces was so messed up it could not even boot systemd containers on my S10, which has Kernel 4.14.113 and It was limited to run Alpine Linux only.
Throughout February, I rewrote it from scratch; After a whole month of testing, debugging, and hardening security and isolation, it is finally ready.
By installing this latest release, you will be able to:
- Install containers up to Ubuntu 25.10 / Systemd v257.9 on legacy kernels like 4.14, without any issues, and with zero failed jobs in systemctl thanks to the latest cgroups-related changes.
- Enjoy full networking isolation with three network modes, including port forwarding support in NAT mode with a tiny DHCP server and real-time monitoring for network changes to switch between Wi-Fi and Data instantly, with almost 100% uptime.
- Use native GPU acceleration on Intel and AMD graphics in Desktop Linux, as well as out-of-the-box Termux X11 and virgl support on Android.
- Fixed terminal handling when using the
login command in the container shell and CTRL+ALT+Q shutdown in foreground mode.Additional security and misc. improvements have been made across both the C backend and the app.
The app can do everything the C backend does right now, perfectly balanced ❤️
https://github.com/ravindu644/Droidspaces-OSS/releases/tag/v5.5.0
Everything you need to know is already documented in the project's readmes.
I will take a little break from this project now :)
@Droidspaces x @ravindu
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Droidspaces
Droidspaces v5.5.0 has been released! What is Droidspaces in the first place? 👀 Droidspaces is a lightweight, portable Linux containerization tool that lets you run full Linux environments on top of Android or Linux, with complete init system support including…
Droidspaces-universal-v5.5.0-2026-03-09.apk
12.7 MB
Mirrored the latest releases just in case :D
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