The Android sparse format is a format to more efficiently store files for for example firmware updates to save on bandwidth. Files in sparse format first have to be converted back to their original format.
A tool to create images for testing can be found in the Android source code tree:
https://android.googlesource.com/platform/system/core/+/e8d02c50d7/libsparse - img2simg.c
Note: this is not the same as the Android sparse data image format.
This page hosts a formal specification of Android sparse image using Kaitai Struct. This specification can be automatically translated into a variety of programming languages to get a parsing library.
All parsing code for Java generated by Kaitai Struct depends on the Java runtime library. You have to install it before you can parse data.
The Java runtime library is published in the Maven Central Repository. Refer to the artifact page for instructions how to add it into your project with the build tool that you use.
Parse a local file and get structure in memory:
AndroidSparse data = AndroidSparse.fromFile("path/to/local/file.img");
Or parse structure from a byte array:
byte[] someArray = new byte[] { ... };
AndroidSparse data = new AndroidSparse(new ByteBufferKaitaiStream(someArray));
After that, one can get various attributes from the structure by invoking getter methods like:
data.headerPrefix() // => internal; access `_root.header` instead
// This is a generated file! Please edit source .ksy file and use kaitai-struct-compiler to rebuild
import io.kaitai.struct.ByteBufferKaitaiStream;
import io.kaitai.struct.KaitaiStruct;
import io.kaitai.struct.KaitaiStream;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.Map;
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Arrays;
/**
* The Android sparse format is a format to more efficiently store files
* for for example firmware updates to save on bandwidth. Files in sparse
* format first have to be converted back to their original format.
*
* A tool to create images for testing can be found in the Android source code tree:
*
* <https://android.googlesource.com/platform/system/core/+/e8d02c50d7/libsparse> - `img2simg.c`
*
* Note: this is not the same as the Android sparse data image format.
* @see <a href="https://android.googlesource.com/platform/system/core/+/e8d02c50d7/libsparse/sparse_format.h">Source</a>
* @see <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220322054458/https://source.android.com/devices/bootloader/images#sparse-image-format">Source</a>
*/
public class AndroidSparse extends KaitaiStruct {
public static AndroidSparse fromFile(String fileName) throws IOException {
return new AndroidSparse(new ByteBufferKaitaiStream(fileName));
}
public enum ChunkTypes {
RAW(51905),
FILL(51906),
DONT_CARE(51907),
CRC32(51908);
private final long id;
ChunkTypes(long id) { this.id = id; }
public long id() { return id; }
private static final Map<Long, ChunkTypes> byId = new HashMap<Long, ChunkTypes>(4);
static {
for (ChunkTypes e : ChunkTypes.values())
byId.put(e.id(), e);
}
public static ChunkTypes byId(long id) { return byId.get(id); }
}
public AndroidSparse(KaitaiStream _io) {
this(_io, null, null);
}
public AndroidSparse(KaitaiStream _io, KaitaiStruct _parent) {
this(_io, _parent, null);
}
public AndroidSparse(KaitaiStream _io, KaitaiStruct _parent, AndroidSparse _root) {
super(_io);
this._parent = _parent;
this._root = _root == null ? this : _root;
_read();
}
private void _read() {
this.headerPrefix = new FileHeaderPrefix(this._io, this, _root);
this._raw_header = this._io.readBytes((headerPrefix().lenHeader() - 10));
KaitaiStream _io__raw_header = new ByteBufferKaitaiStream(_raw_header);
this.header = new FileHeader(_io__raw_header, this, _root);
this.chunks = new ArrayList<Chunk>();
for (int i = 0; i < header().numChunks(); i++) {
this.chunks.add(new Chunk(this._io, this, _root));
}
}
public static class FileHeaderPrefix extends KaitaiStruct {
public static FileHeaderPrefix fromFile(String fileName) throws IOException {
return new FileHeaderPrefix(new ByteBufferKaitaiStream(fileName));
}
public FileHeaderPrefix(KaitaiStream _io) {
this(_io, null, null);
}
public FileHeaderPrefix(KaitaiStream _io, AndroidSparse _parent) {
this(_io, _parent, null);
}
public FileHeaderPrefix(KaitaiStream _io, AndroidSparse _parent, AndroidSparse _root) {
super(_io);
this._parent = _parent;
this._root = _root;
_read();
}
private void _read() {
this.magic = this._io.readBytes(4);
if (!(Arrays.equals(magic(), new byte[] { 58, -1, 38, -19 }))) {
throw new KaitaiStream.ValidationNotEqualError(new byte[] { 58, -1, 38, -19 }, magic(), _io(), "/types/file_header_prefix/seq/0");
}
this.version = new Version(this._io, this, _root);
this.lenHeader = this._io.readU2le();
}
private byte[] magic;
private Version version;
private int lenHeader;
private AndroidSparse _root;
private AndroidSparse _parent;
public byte[] magic() { return magic; }
/**
* internal; access `_root.header.version` instead
*/
public Version version() { return version; }
/**
* internal; access `_root.header.len_header` instead
*/
public int lenHeader() { return lenHeader; }
public AndroidSparse _root() { return _root; }
public AndroidSparse _parent() { return _parent; }
}
public static class FileHeader extends KaitaiStruct {
public static FileHeader fromFile(String fileName) throws IOException {
return new FileHeader(new ByteBufferKaitaiStream(fileName));
}
public FileHeader(KaitaiStream _io) {
this(_io, null, null);
}
public FileHeader(KaitaiStream _io, AndroidSparse _parent) {
this(_io, _parent, null);
}
public FileHeader(KaitaiStream _io, AndroidSparse _parent, AndroidSparse _root) {
super(_io);
this._parent = _parent;
this._root = _root;
_read();
}
private void _read() {
this.lenChunkHeader = this._io.readU2le();
this.blockSize = this._io.readU4le();
{
long _it = blockSize();
if (!(KaitaiStream.mod(_it, 4) == 0)) {
throw new KaitaiStream.ValidationExprError(blockSize(), _io(), "/types/file_header/seq/1");
}
}
this.numBlocks = this._io.readU4le();
this.numChunks = this._io.readU4le();
this.checksum = this._io.readU4le();
}
private Version version;
public Version version() {
if (this.version != null)
return this.version;
this.version = _root().headerPrefix().version();
return this.version;
}
private Integer lenHeader;
/**
* size of file header, should be 28
*/
public Integer lenHeader() {
if (this.lenHeader != null)
return this.lenHeader;
int _tmp = (int) (_root().headerPrefix().lenHeader());
this.lenHeader = _tmp;
return this.lenHeader;
}
private int lenChunkHeader;
private long blockSize;
private long numBlocks;
private long numChunks;
private long checksum;
private AndroidSparse _root;
private AndroidSparse _parent;
/**
* size of chunk header, should be 12
*/
public int lenChunkHeader() { return lenChunkHeader; }
/**
* block size in bytes, must be a multiple of 4
*/
public long blockSize() { return blockSize; }
/**
* blocks in the original data
*/
public long numBlocks() { return numBlocks; }
public long numChunks() { return numChunks; }
/**
* CRC32 checksum of the original data
*
* In practice always 0; if checksum writing is requested, a CRC32 chunk is written
* at the end of the file instead. The canonical `libsparse` implementation does this
* and other implementations tend to follow it, see
* <https://gitlab.com/teskje/android-sparse-rs/-/blob/57c2577/src/write.rs#L112-114>
*/
public long checksum() { return checksum; }
public AndroidSparse _root() { return _root; }
public AndroidSparse _parent() { return _parent; }
}
public static class Chunk extends KaitaiStruct {
public static Chunk fromFile(String fileName) throws IOException {
return new Chunk(new ByteBufferKaitaiStream(fileName));
}
public Chunk(KaitaiStream _io) {
this(_io, null, null);
}
public Chunk(KaitaiStream _io, AndroidSparse _parent) {
this(_io, _parent, null);
}
public Chunk(KaitaiStream _io, AndroidSparse _parent, AndroidSparse _root) {
super(_io);
this._parent = _parent;
this._root = _root;
_read();
}
private void _read() {
this._raw_header = this._io.readBytes(_root().header().lenChunkHeader());
KaitaiStream _io__raw_header = new ByteBufferKaitaiStream(_raw_header);
this.header = new ChunkHeader(_io__raw_header, this, _root);
{
ChunkTypes on = header().chunkType();
if (on != null) {
switch (header().chunkType()) {
case CRC32: {
this.body = (Object) (this._io.readU4le());
break;
}
default: {
this.body = this._io.readBytes(header().lenBody());
break;
}
}
} else {
this.body = this._io.readBytes(header().lenBody());
}
}
}
public static class ChunkHeader extends KaitaiStruct {
public static ChunkHeader fromFile(String fileName) throws IOException {
return new ChunkHeader(new ByteBufferKaitaiStream(fileName));
}
public ChunkHeader(KaitaiStream _io) {
this(_io, null, null);
}
public ChunkHeader(KaitaiStream _io, AndroidSparse.Chunk _parent) {
this(_io, _parent, null);
}
public ChunkHeader(KaitaiStream _io, AndroidSparse.Chunk _parent, AndroidSparse _root) {
super(_io);
this._parent = _parent;
this._root = _root;
_read();
}
private void _read() {
this.chunkType = AndroidSparse.ChunkTypes.byId(this._io.readU2le());
this.reserved1 = this._io.readU2le();
this.numBodyBlocks = this._io.readU4le();
this.lenChunk = this._io.readU4le();
if (!(lenChunk() == (lenBodyExpected() != -1 ? (_root().header().lenChunkHeader() + lenBodyExpected()) : lenChunk()))) {
throw new KaitaiStream.ValidationNotEqualError((lenBodyExpected() != -1 ? (_root().header().lenChunkHeader() + lenBodyExpected()) : lenChunk()), lenChunk(), _io(), "/types/chunk/types/chunk_header/seq/3");
}
}
private Integer lenBody;
public Integer lenBody() {
if (this.lenBody != null)
return this.lenBody;
int _tmp = (int) ((lenChunk() - _root().header().lenChunkHeader()));
this.lenBody = _tmp;
return this.lenBody;
}
private Integer lenBodyExpected;
/**
* @see <a href="https://android.googlesource.com/platform/system/core/+/e8d02c50d7/libsparse/sparse_read.cpp#184">Source</a>
* @see <a href="https://android.googlesource.com/platform/system/core/+/e8d02c50d7/libsparse/sparse_read.cpp#215">Source</a>
* @see <a href="https://android.googlesource.com/platform/system/core/+/e8d02c50d7/libsparse/sparse_read.cpp#249">Source</a>
* @see <a href="https://android.googlesource.com/platform/system/core/+/e8d02c50d7/libsparse/sparse_read.cpp#270">Source</a>
*/
public Integer lenBodyExpected() {
if (this.lenBodyExpected != null)
return this.lenBodyExpected;
int _tmp = (int) ((chunkType() == AndroidSparse.ChunkTypes.RAW ? (_root().header().blockSize() * numBodyBlocks()) : (chunkType() == AndroidSparse.ChunkTypes.FILL ? 4 : (chunkType() == AndroidSparse.ChunkTypes.DONT_CARE ? 0 : (chunkType() == AndroidSparse.ChunkTypes.CRC32 ? 4 : -1)))));
this.lenBodyExpected = _tmp;
return this.lenBodyExpected;
}
private ChunkTypes chunkType;
private int reserved1;
private long numBodyBlocks;
private long lenChunk;
private AndroidSparse _root;
private AndroidSparse.Chunk _parent;
public ChunkTypes chunkType() { return chunkType; }
public int reserved1() { return reserved1; }
/**
* size of the chunk body in blocks in output image
*/
public long numBodyBlocks() { return numBodyBlocks; }
/**
* in bytes of chunk input file including chunk header and data
*/
public long lenChunk() { return lenChunk; }
public AndroidSparse _root() { return _root; }
public AndroidSparse.Chunk _parent() { return _parent; }
}
private ChunkHeader header;
private Object body;
private AndroidSparse _root;
private AndroidSparse _parent;
private byte[] _raw_header;
public ChunkHeader header() { return header; }
public Object body() { return body; }
public AndroidSparse _root() { return _root; }
public AndroidSparse _parent() { return _parent; }
public byte[] _raw_header() { return _raw_header; }
}
public static class Version extends KaitaiStruct {
public static Version fromFile(String fileName) throws IOException {
return new Version(new ByteBufferKaitaiStream(fileName));
}
public Version(KaitaiStream _io) {
this(_io, null, null);
}
public Version(KaitaiStream _io, AndroidSparse.FileHeaderPrefix _parent) {
this(_io, _parent, null);
}
public Version(KaitaiStream _io, AndroidSparse.FileHeaderPrefix _parent, AndroidSparse _root) {
super(_io);
this._parent = _parent;
this._root = _root;
_read();
}
private void _read() {
this.major = this._io.readU2le();
if (!(major() == 1)) {
throw new KaitaiStream.ValidationNotEqualError(1, major(), _io(), "/types/version/seq/0");
}
this.minor = this._io.readU2le();
}
private int major;
private int minor;
private AndroidSparse _root;
private AndroidSparse.FileHeaderPrefix _parent;
public int major() { return major; }
public int minor() { return minor; }
public AndroidSparse _root() { return _root; }
public AndroidSparse.FileHeaderPrefix _parent() { return _parent; }
}
private FileHeaderPrefix headerPrefix;
private FileHeader header;
private ArrayList<Chunk> chunks;
private AndroidSparse _root;
private KaitaiStruct _parent;
private byte[] _raw_header;
/**
* internal; access `_root.header` instead
*/
public FileHeaderPrefix headerPrefix() { return headerPrefix; }
public FileHeader header() { return header; }
public ArrayList<Chunk> chunks() { return chunks; }
public AndroidSparse _root() { return _root; }
public KaitaiStruct _parent() { return _parent; }
public byte[] _raw_header() { return _raw_header; }
}