FIELD NOTES / Android
ANDRAX-NG on Android: why free storage matters before you buy
Understand what ANDRAX-NG does, then distinguish the project’s free-space requirement from a phone’s advertised storage capacity.
ANDRAX-NG provides a security-testing environment with tools for network and application assessment, research and development. On Android, its main interface manages the environment, Dragon Terminal gives you a command line, and a categorised launcher helps you find tools. It also provides a graphical route through VNC. The project’s Android documentation describes these interfaces.
That is why buying an “ANDRAX phone” involves more than checking whether an APK can be installed. You are choosing somewhere to keep and use a larger working environment. Storage is one of the easiest requirements to misunderstand before purchase.
What the project actually requires
The official Portable requirements are an ARM64 processor, at least 2GB of RAM, 30GB of free space and root access on Android. The Desktop edition has different requirements and is not the package used for this phone preparation. These are the published prerequisites in ANDRAX-NG’s installation documentation.
Root access is permission to perform privileged operations. RAM is working memory. Storage holds the installed environment and files. None substitutes for another: extra storage does not turn a 32-bit processor into ARM64, and a rooted device does not automatically have enough free space.
A 32GB phone does not provide 32GB for ANDRAX
A capacity printed in a product title describes the phone’s storage variant. Android, existing applications and your data already occupy part of that storage. The relevant buying question is how much usable internal space is free for the planned installation, measured on the actual configuration.
For that reason, pent.shop does not offer the ANDRAX selection on the 32GB or unspecified-storage variants in its grouped rooted handset catalogue. This is a store eligibility rule intended to avoid selling a configuration without a credible storage basis. A larger capacity still needs an actual free-space check.
Make a small storage budget
Use the following worksheet when discussing a supplied phone or your existing device. The arithmetic example is hypothetical; it is not a measurement of a particular phone or the installed size of an ANDRAX release.
| Worksheet entry | Example | What to record |
|---|---|---|
| Free internal space before preparation | 46GB | The device’s measured available space |
| Published installation prerequisite | 30GB | Check the requirement for the release being prepared |
| Difference | 16GB | A planning margin, not a guaranteed post-installation balance |
| Your intended project files | 8GB | Your own estimate for material you will keep |
In this example, the difference between the reported free space and the published prerequisite is 16GB. It does not tell you the exact final installation size, temporary unpacking needs or future update growth. Record the free-space figure again after preparation and decide how much working room you want to preserve.
If you intend to keep large project folders or many additional tools, choose capacity around that plan. There is no value in buying just enough room to pass an initial check if your first ordinary session immediately fills it.
Plan maintenance as well as installation
ANDRAX uses APT for the underlying core and AFOS-NG for its security tools, rather than treating both as one undifferentiated update. The AFOS-NG documentation explains that division. Keep the supplied maintenance instructions and check space before major changes.
For your own workflow, decide where finished project files go and when you remove local copies. Keep needed records backed up before deleting anything. A simple folder convention—current work, ready to export, safely archived—makes the storage figure easier to understand than a single unexplained number in Settings.
Buy an environment that fits your work
If you already have an eligible phone, the ANDRAX-NG preparation service covers work on your device and does not include a handset. For hardware included, browse the rooted Android phones, select the actual storage variant and check which platforms it offers. The software selection is part of the configured order.
Describe any external equipment you plan to use separately. A working tool environment is only one part of an accessory workflow; see the Android USB connection checklist for the questions that also apply to a rooted field kit. Our ANDRAX-NG guide covers the broader preparation route.
Sources and further reading
Project documentation checked for this article on 12 September 2026. Software and hardware requirements can change; use the linked project references for your exact configuration. How we prepare these articles.
