ibek is the IOC builder for epics-containers. It combines reusable support definitions with an IOC instance's YAML to generate its startup script and database substitutions. A generic IOC image supplies the compiled EPICS support; instance configuration selects what that image runs.
The CLI supports several stages of that workflow:
| Where | Commands | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Container build | ibek support, ibek ioc |
Prepare support, schemas and generic IOC assets. |
| Running IOC container | ibek runtime |
Generate startup files, databases and related runtime assets. |
| Development container | ibek dev |
Connect an IOC instance checkout to the development environment. |
| Services checkout, outside the IOC container | ibek pattern |
Vendor runtime patterns and compose the instance schema. |
See the CLI reference for individual commands and exceptions to these groupings.
Install the standalone CLI with Python 3.13 or later:
uv tool install ibek
ibek --helpEPICS build and runtime operations also need the tools and directory layout provided by the appropriate IOC container.
Read the documentation for a small rendering tutorial, YAML and Jinja references, and how ibek uses ibek-support. For creating and deploying complete IOCs, use the epics-containers documentation.