Who this is for: Security researchers, bug bounty hunters, and pentesters who need a reliable, repeatable Android lab. Assumes basic Linux comfort; no prior Android development experience required.

What you will have at the end: Two configured AVDs (standard + writable-system), ADB working across all connection modes, Frida attached and scripting, and a snapshot workflow that lets you reset to a clean state in under five seconds.

Scope: Official Android Emulator (primary), physical rooted device (secondary), third-party emulators (reference). Linux/Ubuntu focus with macOS and Windows notes.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Concepts: Emulation vs Virtualisation on Android
3. Host Prerequisites
4. Android SDK & Command-Line Tools Setup
5. System Image Selection
6. AVD Creation & Management
7. Emulator Launch Variants
8. ADB Connection Modes
9. Frida Integration
10. Physical Device Setup