Developers - Build Apps for BerryPy

🎯 Why Build for BerryPy?

📱

Active Community

Reach passionate BlackBerry 10 users who are actively using their devices in 2025

🐍

Python Powered

Build with Flask, FastAPI, or any Python web framework - it just works

🚀

Easy Distribution

Package once, distribute via BerryStore, automatic updates and management

🫐 What is BerryPy?

BerryPy is a modern web-based application platform for BlackBerry BB10/QNX devices. It provides:

App Store Interface: Beautiful purple-themed UI for browsing and installing apps
Process Management: Start, stop, and monitor running applications
Auto-Start Configuration: Apps can launch automatically on device boot
Catalog System: Metadata, icons, and descriptions for all apps
Web-Based: Access at http://127.0.0.1:8001

🎨 Current Apps on BerryStore

🤖 AI-Chat - AI chatbot interface
🚀 RocketChat - Team communication
✈️ Telegram - Messaging client
🖥️ Webshell - Web-based terminal

📺 YouTube - Video streaming
🐙 BB10Git - GitHub manager
📋 copyclip - Clipboard sync
⚙️ Term49-Settings - Terminal config

⚙️ How It Works

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│  BlackBerry Browser                 │
│  http://127.0.0.1:8001             │
└─────────────────┬───────────────────┘
                  │
                  ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│  BerryPy Flask Server               │
│  • Manage apps                      │
│  • Process control                  │
│  • Download/Install                 │
└─────────────────┬───────────────────┘
                  │
                  ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│  BerryStore (berrystore.sw7ft.com)  │
│  • Web apps  → ~/apps/              │
│  • CLI tools → ~/usr/local/bin/     │
│  • Metadata  → catalog.json         │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

📦 Web Apps

Python web applications (Flask, FastAPI, etc.)

Installed to /accounts/1000/shared/misc/apps/
Run on their own port
Managed by BerryPy
Listed in catalog.json

🔧 CLI Tools

Command-line utilities and binaries

Installed to /accounts/1000/shared/misc/bin/
Available in PATH
QNX/BB10 compatible
Listed in bins/catalog.json

🚀 Creating Your First App

1Create Your Python App

Build a simple Flask/FastAPI web application:


# app.py

from flask import Flask, render_template



app = Flask(__name__)

PORT = 8100  # Choose a unique port



@app.route('/')

def home():

    return render_template('index.html')



if __name__ == '__main__':

    app.run(host='0.0.0.0', port=PORT)

💡 Tip: Make sure to define a PORT variable or use app.run(port=XXXX) so BerryPy can detect it!

2Add Home Screen Icon Support

Make your app look great when added to the BB10 home screen:


<!-- Add to your HTML <head> -->

<link rel="icon" href="https://berrystore.sw7ft.com/apps/app-icons/yourapp.png">

<link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="https://berrystore.sw7ft.com/apps/app-icons/yourapp.png">

<link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" href="https://berrystore.sw7ft.com/apps/app-icons/yourapp.png">

<meta name="apple-mobile-web-app-capable" content="yes">

<meta name="apple-mobile-web-app-title" content="Your App">

<meta name="theme-color" content="#9b59b6">

3Create App Icon (48x48px)

Design a 48x48 pixel PNG icon for your app:

Size: Exactly 48x48 pixels
Format: PNG with transparency
Style: Clear, simple design that works at small size
Naming: yourapp.png (lowercase, no spaces)

4Package Your App

Create a .zip file with this structure:


YourApp.zip

├── app.py              # Main Python file

├── templates/

│   └── index.html      # HTML templates

├── static/

│   ├── style.css       # Stylesheets

│   └── script.js       # JavaScript

└── requirements.txt    # Python dependencies

Command to create:

zip -r YourApp.zip app.py templates/ static/ requirements.txt

5Add to Catalog

Create an entry in catalog.json:


{

  "YourApp": {

    "name": "Your App Name",

    "description": "A brief description of what your app does",

    "category": "Productivity",  // or Tools, Social, Entertainment, etc.

    "version": "1.0.0",

    "author": "Your Name",

    "icon": "yourapp.png",       // Your 48x48 icon filename

    "requirements": [             // Optional: Python packages needed

      "flask",

      "requests"

    ]

  }

}

⚠️ BB10/QNX Compatibility Rules

🚨 CRITICAL: BB10 uses QNX, not Linux!

BlackBerry 10 doesn't have bash or GNU utilities. Using Linux-specific commands will cause your app to fail.

Rule	❌ Wrong (Linux)	✅ Correct (QNX)
Shebang	#!/bin/bash	#!/bin/sh
Process Check	ps -p $PID	pidin -p $PID
Shell Test	[[ condition ]]	[ condition ]
String Compare	==	=

📖 Full compatibility guide: docs/QNX-COMPATIBILITY.md

✅ Testing & Submission

🧪 Testing on BB10

Before submitting, you MUST test on an actual BlackBerry 10 device:


# Copy your app to BB10 device

scp YourApp.zip bb10:/accounts/1000/shared/misc/apps/



# SSH to device

ssh bb10



# Extract and test

cd /accounts/1000/shared/misc/apps/

unzip YourApp.zip -d YourApp

cd YourApp

python3 app.py



# Open browser to http://127.0.0.1:XXXX

Test Checklist:

App starts without errors
UI renders correctly in BB10 browser
Touch interactions work properly
Port is detected correctly
No Linux-specific commands used
Icon displays properly

📤 Submitting Your App

Ready to publish? Here's how:

Fork the BerryPy repository:
github.com/sw7ft/berrypy
Add your files:
- Place YourApp.zip in /apps/
- Place yourapp.png in /apps/app-icons/
- Update /apps/catalog.json
Create a Pull Request with:
- Clear description of your app
- Screenshots (if possible)
- Test results on BB10
Wait for review - We'll test and merge!

Build for BerryPy