Install Balena Etcher on Kali Linux

Balena Etcher is a popular, open-source tool used for creating bootable USB drives and SD cards from image files like ISO and IMG.

It’s widely appreciated for its simple and intuitive interface, making it easy to flash operating system images onto storage devices.

On Kali Linux, Etcher runs smoothly, allowing users to quickly prepare bootable media for OS installations or live sessions.

Installing Balena Etcher Kali Linux includes the below methods:

• AppImage: The most straightforward way to install Etcher without dependencies—simply download the AppImage, make it executable, and run it.
• APT Repository: Install Etcher through the Kali Linux APT package manager, making updates easy and manageable with regular system updates.
• Snap Package: Install Etcher using the Snap package manager if Snap is already enabled on your system, offering a quick one-command installation.
• Docker: Run Etcher in an isolated container using Docker, perfect for users who want to keep Etcher separate from the main system.
• dd Command: For more technical users, the dd command is a native Linux method to create bootable drives without using Etcher.

Prerequisites to Install Balena Etcher on Kali Linux

To Install and Use Balena Etcher on Kali Linux, your machine needs to meet all the below specifications:

• Access to a Linux VPS with root or sudo privileges for remote installation.
• At least 500MB of free space for Etcher and files.
• A USB drive with at least 4GB capacity for flashing ISOs.
• Install libfuse2 and unzip if necessary.
• Ensure Snap or Docker is installed (for alternative methods)

Method 1: Install Balena Etcher on Kali Linux Using AppImage

Balena Etcher via AppImage is a convenient method to create bootable USB drives on Kali Linux. It’s a portable package format that doesn’t require installation, making it easy to run without needing additional dependencies.

Etcher’s intuitive interface allows users to flash ISO images to USB drives quickly and safely. With built-in features for validation and error checking, it ensures that the bootable drive is correctly prepared.

Let’s review the steps for using Balena Etcher via AppImage on Kali Linux:

Step 1: Download Etcher for Linux

The first step is to download the Etcher software. Head over to Balena Etcher’s official website.

The site will automatically detect you are using a Linux system and suggest the appropriate download.

• Click the Download for Linux x64 button.

• Wait for the Etcher .zip file to finish downloading.

At this point, you’ve successfully downloaded the Etcher package.

Step 2: Extract the Etcher AppImage from the ZIP File

Once the download is complete, you’ll notice the Etcher package is a compressed ZIP file. To run the application, extract the AppImage file contained within it.

Method 1: Using the Graphical Interface (GUI)

• Navigate to your Downloads folder (or wherever you saved the file).
• Right-click on the Etcher ZIP file (for example, balena-etcher-electron-1.7.9-linux-x64.zip).
• Select Extract Here from the options.
• After extraction, a new folder will appear containing the Etcher AppImage file.

Method 2: Using the Command Line Interface (CLI)

For CLI enthusiasts, you can extract the file directly in your terminal:

• Open your terminal and navigate to the folder where the ZIP file is located:

cd ~/Downloads

• Run the following command to extract the file:

unzip balena-etcher-electron-1.7.9-linux-x64.zip

• After this, you’ll see the extracted AppImage file in the same directory.

Step 3: Run Balena Etcher on Kali Linux

Before you can run Etcher, you must ensure it has the correct permissions. To make the file executable, follow these steps.

chmod +x balena-etcher-electron-*.AppImage

• Right-click on the Etcher AppImage file and select Properties.
• Go to the Permissions tab.
• Check the box that says Allow executing file as a program.

Alternatively, you can achieve this using the terminal with the following command:

chmod +x balena-etcher-electron-*.AppImage

Then, double-click the AppImage file or run it via the terminal:

./balena-etcher-electron-*.AppImage

Once the application launches, you’ll see the Etcher interface.

Step 4: Create a Bootable USB Drive with Balena Etcher

Now that Etcher is installed and running, you can use it to create a bootable USB drive or SD card. Here’s how to proceed:

Select the ISO File:

• Click on Flash from the file and browse your system to select the ISO file you want to flash. For instance, you may be preparing a bootable USB to install a Linux distribution.

Select Your Target Drive:

• Plug in the USB drive or SD card you want to use.
• Click Select Target and choose the appropriate drive.

Be cautious when selecting the target, as the drive will be completely formatted.

Start Flashing:

• Once your ISO and target drive are selected, click Flash! to start the process.

• The flashing process might take a few minutes, depending on the size of the ISO and the speed of your USB drive.

Validate the Flash:

• By default, Etcher will automatically validate the flashed drive to ensure no errors occurred. This is a useful feature that confirms your bootable drive is ready for use without any issues.

Completion and Ejection:

• Once validation is complete, you’ll receive a notification confirming that the process was successful.
• You can now safely eject your USB or SD card and use it to boot into the new system.

This method is the easiest and most universal method since it doesn’t require installation in the traditional sense.

Let’s learn some more alternative methods.

Method 2: Install Balena Etcher via APT Repository

Installing Balena Etcher through an APT repository allows you to manage updates more easily using apt.

Here’s how to do it step by step:

Step 1: Add Etcher APT Repository

To begin, you need to add Balena Etcher’s official repository to your system. This enables Kali Linux to retrieve the package directly from the source.

• Open your terminal.
• Add the Etcher APT repository using the following command:

echo "deb https://deb.etcher.io stable etcher" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/balena-etcher.list

Step 2: Import the Repository GPG Key

Next, you need to add the repository’s GPG key to ensure secure package downloads.

• In the same terminal, run this command to import the GPG key:

sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys 379CE192D401AB61

Step 3: Update APT and Install Etcher

Now that you’ve added the repository and the GPG key, you can update your package list and install Etcher:

• First, update the APT package list:

sudo apt update

• Then, install Balena Etcher:

sudo apt install balena-etcher-electron

Step 4: Launch Etcher

• Once the installation is complete, you can launch Etcher from the terminal by typing:

balena-etcher-electron

Or, simply search for Etcher in your application menu and open it from there.

• To update Etcher after installing it via the APT repository, use the command below:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade balena-etcher-electron

This will ensure you are using the latest version of Balena Etcher on Kali Linux.

Method 3: Install Etcher on Kali Linux via Snap

Snap is a universal package management system developed by Canonical. If Snap is enabled on your Kali Linux system, you can easily install Etcher with a few commands.

Step 1: Install Snap (If Not Already Installed)

If Snap is not yet installed on your system, you need to add it.

• Open the terminal and install Snap with the below command:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install snapd

Step 2: Enable Snap Daemon

Ensure the Snap daemon is active and enabled to run Etcher packages.

• Enable the Snap service by running the following command:

sudo systemctl enable snapd

To start the Snap service, run:

sudo systemctl start snapd

Step 3: Install Etcher via Snap

Now, you can install Balena Etcher via Snap.

• Run the following command to install Etcher:

sudo snap install etcher --classic

Step 4: Launch Etcher

After installation, you can launch Etcher by typing the following command in the terminal:

etcher

Or, you can find Etcher in your application launcher.

Method 4: Install Etcher Using Docker

For users familiar with Docker, Balena Etcher also has an official Docker image. This method is useful if you want to keep Etcher isolated from your system.

To use this method, follow these steps:

Step 1: Install Docker on Kali Linux

First, ensure that Docker is installed and running on your system. If you don’t have Docker installed, follow these steps.

• Update your package list by running the command below:

sudo apt update

Run the following command to Install Docker:

sudo apt install docker.io

Step 2: Run Balena Etcher Docker Container

Once Docker is set up, you can run Balena Etcher directly through Docker without installing it on your system:

• To pull the Etcher Docker image, run:

sudo docker pull balenaltd/etcher

• Run the Docker container with the following command:

sudo docker run --privileged -v /dev:/dev -v /tmp/.X11-unix:/tmp/.X11-unix -e DISPLAY=$DISPLAY balenaltd/etcher

This will open Etcher inside a Docker container, allowing you to create bootable media as usual.

Method 5: Create a Bootable Kali Linux USB Drive with dd Command

Using the dd command is a simple, command-line-based method to create a bootable Kali Linux USB drive without needing third-party tools like Balena Etcher.

While it’s slightly more technical, this method is efficient and works across various Linux distributions.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use the dd command to create a bootable USB drive:

Step 1: Download the Kali Linux ISO

Before creating a bootable USB drive, you need the Kali Linux ISO file.

• Go to Kali Linux’s official download page.
• Download the appropriate ISO file for your system architecture (e.g., 64-bit).

Step 2: Insert and Identify Your USB Drive

Next, plug in your USB drive, and then identify its device path using the terminal.

• Open a terminal and use the following command to list all connected drives:

lsblk

• The output will list all block devices, including your USB drive. Identify your USB by its size (usually listed as /dev/sdX, where X is a letter like b, c, etc.).

Example Output:

NAME   MAJ:MIN RM   SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
sda      8:0    0 500G  0 disk
├─sda1   8:1    0 100M  0 part /boot
├─sda2   8:2    0 250G  0 part /
sdb      8:16   1 16G   0 disk
└─sdb1   8:17   1 16G   0 part /media/usb

Here, the USB drive is identified as /dev/sdb. Be very careful to identify the correct drive because the dd command will overwrite the data on the specified drive.

Step 3: Unmount the USB Drive

Before writing the ISO image to the USB, you need to unmount the USB drive to prevent issues during the writing process.

• Unmount the drive using the umount command:

sudo umount /dev/sdb1

Note: Replace sdb1 with your specific partition.

Step 4: Create the Bootable USB Drive

Now that the drive is unmounted, use the dd command to write the Kali Linux ISO image to the USB drive.

• Run the dd command:

sudo dd if=~/Downloads/kali-linux-<version>.iso of=/dev/sdb bs=4M status=progress

Note: Replace ~/Downloads/kali-linux-<version>.iso with the actual path to your downloaded Kali Linux ISO.

• Wait for the process to complete. The command will take some time depending on the speed of your USB drive.

Step 5: Sync and Eject the USB Drive

Once the writing process is complete, it’s a good idea to sync and safely eject your USB drive.

• Sync the filesystem to ensure all data has been written:

sudo sync

• Safely eject the USB drive using the command below:

sudo eject /dev/sdb

Step 6: Boot from the USB Drive

Now that you’ve created a bootable USB drive, you can use it to install or run Kali Linux.

1. Reboot your computer.
2. Access the BIOS/UEFI settings (usually by pressing F2, DEL, or another key during startup).
3. Change the boot order to boot from the USB drive.
4. Save the settings and exit the BIOS/UEFI.

Your system will boot from the USB drive, and you’ll be able to start the installation or use Kali Linux in live mode.

Uninstall Balena Etcher from Kali Linux

• If you installed Balena Etcher via the APT repository, you can remove it using the command below:

sudo apt remove balena-etcher-electron

• For the AppImage version, simply delete the downloaded AppImage file.
• For Docker users, you can remove the Etcher container with the following command:

sudo docker rmi balenaltd/etcher

Why is Balena Etcher not launching after downloading the AppImage on Kali Linux?

This issue often occurs when the file isn’t marked as executable. After downloading the Etcher AppImage, ensure you’ve permitted it to run.

Use this command in the terminal:

chmod +x balena-etcher-electron-*.AppImage

Then double-click the AppImage or run it via the terminal using:

./balena-etcher-electron-*.AppImage

This ensures that Balena Etcher can run properly on Kali Linux.

How to fix “fuse: failed to mount” error when running Balena Etcher AppImage?

This error is often due to missing FUSE (Filesystem in Userspace).

To resolve it, install the necessary FUSE package. Use this command:

sudo apt install libfuse2

Once installed, run Etcher again, and it should now work without the error.

Why is my USB drive not detected in Balena Etcher?

If your USB drive isn’t showing up in Etcher, it could be due to permissions.

Run Etcher as root by opening the terminal and executing the following command:

sudo ./balena-etcher-electron-*.AppImage

Alternatively, ensure that your USB drive is properly mounted with mount command and detectable by the system before opening Balena Etcher.

Conclusion

Balena Etcher provides various methods for creating bootable USB drives on Kali Linux, catering to different user preferences through the AppImage, APT repository, or Docker.

Once installed, users can easily select an ISO file and target drive, then click “Flash” to create a bootable device, benefiting from built-in validation for error-free results.

Designed for both beginners and advanced users, Etcher is a reliable tool for efficiently creating bootable media.