🚀 RF Swift 📡

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/518c5045-4380-48d0-a731-6ec0273a02c5

🔍 What is RF Swift?

RF Swift is a revolutionary toolbox that transforms any computer into a powerful RF testing laboratory without requiring a dedicated operating system. 🔄 Unlike traditional approaches that force you to sacrifice your primary OS, RF Swift brings containerized RF tools to your existing environment. 🏠

⚡ Why RF Swift Outperforms Dedicated OS Solutions

✨ Key Features

Core Capabilities

• 🏠 Non-disruptive Integration: Run specialized RF tools while continuing to use your preferred OS for daily work
• 🧩 Modular Tool Selection: Deploy only the tools you need, when you need them
• 🛡️ Containerized Isolation: Prevent RF tools from affecting system stability or security
• 🌍 Cross-platform Compatibility: Works seamlessly on Linux, Windows, and macOS
• 🔌 Dynamic Hardware Integration: Connect and disconnect USB devices, ports, capabilities, and resources without recreating containers
• 🌐 NAT Networking: Isolated container networks with configurable subnets for multi-container RF lab setups
• 📋 Container Profiles: YAML presets for quick deployment of preconfigured container environments
• ⚡ GPU Acceleration: Dedicated images with OpenCL support for Intel and NVIDIA GPUs
• 💾 Space Efficiency: Use a fraction of the disk space required by dedicated OS solutions

🐳🦭 Container Engine Support

RF Swift supports both Docker and Podman as container engines, giving you the freedom to choose the runtime that best fits your environment:

Auto-detection

RF Swift automatically detects the available container engine at startup. If both are installed, Docker is used by default. Override with:

rfswift --engine podman run -n mycontainer -i penthertz/rfswift_noble:sdr_light
rfswift --engine docker run -n mycontainer -i penthertz/rfswift_noble:sdr_light
rfswift --engine lima run -n mycontainer -i penthertz/rfswift_noble:sdr_light  # macOS USB

Podman support example

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/14b6d50f-5250-420e-94e4-474991113372

Podman Highlights

• Rootless containers: No daemon, no root — ideal for locked-down environments and shared lab machines
• OCI-compatible images: All existing RF Swift images work out of the box with Podman

• Seamless device passthrough: USB SDR dongles, serial adapters, and GPUs work with both engines

• Automatic cgroup handling: RF Swift detects cgroup v1/v2 and configures device access rules accordingly

🦙 macOS USB Passthrough (Lima)

Docker Desktop and Podman on macOS cannot forward USB devices (SDR dongles, HackRF, RTL-SDR, etc.) into containers. RF Swift solves this with Lima, which runs a QEMU VM with USB hot-plug support:

# Install Lima (PentHertz fork with USB passthrough support) + QEMU
brew install qemu
curl -fsSL https://github.com/PentHertz/lima/releases/download/v2.1.1/lima-2.1.1-Darwin-$(uname -m).tar.gz -o /tmp/lima.tar.gz
sudo tar xz -C /usr/local -f /tmp/lima.tar.gz

# Attach your SDR dongle to the Lima VM
rfswift macusb list                              # see host USB devices
rfswift macusb attach --vid 0x1d50 --pid 0x604b  # forward HackRF to VM

# Run container via Lima's Docker (where USB device lives)
rfswift --engine lima run -i penthertz/rfswift_noble:sdr_light -n sdr_work

# When done, detach
rfswift macusb detach --vid 0x1d50 --pid 0x604b

Lima auto-creates the VM on first use with Docker, USB libraries, kernel modules, and udev rules for all supported RF hardware pre-configured. Use --engine lima when you need USB devices; use Docker Desktop normally for everything else.

Quick Setup

# Install with the interactive installer (offers Docker, Podman, or both)
curl -fsSL "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/PentHertz/RF-Swift/refs/heads/main/scripts/get_rfswift.sh" | sh

# Or install Podman manually
sudo apt install podman          # Debian/Ubuntu
sudo dnf install podman          # Fedora/RHEL
sudo pacman -S podman            # Arch Linux
brew install podman              # macOS

Note: When using Podman in rootless mode, some operations (like direct device passthrough) may require additional configuration. RF Swift handles most of this automatically, but see the documentation for details.

🎬 Demo Videos

🐧 On Linux

https://github.com/PentHertz/RF-Swift/assets/715195/bb2ccd96-b688-4106-8fba-d82f84ff1ea4

🪟 On Windows (With GQRX)

https://github.com/PentHertz/RF-Swift/assets/715195/25a4a857-aa5a-4daa-9a08-28fa53d2f799

🖥️ Using OpenCL with Intel or NVIDIA GPU

📦 Available Specialized Images

RF Swift's container approach allows for specialized environments optimized for specific tasks. All images are OCI-compatible and work with both Docker and Podman.

graph TD;
    A[corebuild]-->B[sdrsa_devices];
    A-->C[rfid];
    A-->D[automotive];
    A-->E[reversing];
    A-->H[network];
    B-->I[sdr_light];
    B-->J[bluetooth];
    B-->K[telecom_utils];
    B-->L[hardware];
    H-->M[wifi];
    I-->N[sdr_full];
    K-->P[telecom_2Gto3G];
    K-->Q[telecom_4G_5GNSA];
    K-->R[telecom_4Gto5G];
    K-->S[telecom_5G];

200+ tools across 15+ images, all on x86_64, ARM64, and RISC-V64.

Full image list with detailed tool inventory available at rfswift.io/docs/guide/list-of-tools/

🌟 Real-World Use Cases

👔 For Professionals

• 🧰 Rapid Assessment Deployment: Deploy a complete RF lab at client sites in minutes
• 🔄 Consistent Environments: Eliminate "works on my machine" issues
• ⚙️ Parallel Testing: Run multiple isolated assessments simultaneously
• 📹 Documentation: Built-in session recording for client reports
• 🛠️ Custom Toolsets: Create specialized containers for specific engagements

🔬 For Researchers

• 📊 Reproducible Research: Share exact tool environments with papers
• 🧪 Experiment Isolation: Keep experimental configurations separate
• 🌐 Multi-platform Collaboration: Work across Linux, Windows, and macOS
• 🔢 Version Control: Test with specific tool versions for reproducibility
• ⚡ Resource Optimization: Allocate resources based on research needs

👨‍🏫 For Educators

• 🏫 Classroom Deployment: Identical environments for all students
• 💻 No OS Reinstall: Students keep their existing operating systems
• 🖥️ Low Requirements: Works on standard lab computers
• 📚 Focused Learning: Custom containers for specific lessons
• 🔄 Quick Reset: Easily reset environments between classes

🏭 For Manufacturing & QA

• 🔍 Production Testing: Consistent RF testing environments
• 📡 Device Validation: Test wireless product compliance
• 🔧 Firmware Analysis: Isolated environments for firmware testing
• 📊 Quality Assurance: Reproducible test configurations

🔒 For Security-Conscious Environments

• 🦭 Rootless with Podman: No privileged daemon required — ideal for SOC-compliant and hardened systems
• 🏔️ Air-gapped labs: Pre-pull images, deploy without internet using Podman's daemonless architecture
• 🛡️ Minimal attack surface: No long-running daemon socket to protect

📖 Documentation

Comprehensive documentation is available at rfswift.io, including:

• 🚀 Getting Started Guide
• 🏁 Quick Start Tutorial
• 📘 User Guide
• 📝 [YAML Recipe Guide](https://rfswift.io/docs/development/yaml-recipe