# Configuring a FreeRTOS kernel port
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This section provides instructions for integrating a port of the FreeRTOS kernel into a FreeRTOS port-testing project. For a list of available kernel ports, see [FreeRTOS kernel ports](https://freertos.org/RTOS_ports.html).

FreeRTOS uses the FreeRTOS kernel for multitasking and intertask communications. For more information, see the [FreeRTOS kernel fundamentals](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/freertos/latest/userguide/dev-guide-freertos-kernel.html) in the *FreeRTOS User Guide* and [FreeRTOS.org](https://freertos.org/index.html). 

**Note**  
Porting the FreeRTOS kernel to a new architecture is not included in this documentation. If you are interested, [contact the FreeRTOS engineering team](https://freertos.org/RTOS-contact-and-support.html).  
For the FreeRTOS Qualification program, only existing FreeRTOS kernel ports are supported. Modifications to these ports are not accepted within the program. Review the [ FreeRTOS kernel port policy](https://freertos.org/differences-between-officially-supported-and-contributed-FreeRTOS-code.html) for more information.

## Prerequisites
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To set up the FreeRTOS kernel for porting, you need the following:
+ An official FreeRTOS kernel port, or FreeRTOS supported ports for the target platform.
+ An IDE project that includes the correct FreeRTOS kernel port files for the target platform and compiler. For information about setting up a test project, see [Setting up your workspace and project for porting](porting-set-up-project.md).

## Configuring the FreeRTOS kernel
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FreeRTOS kernel is customized using a configuration file called `FreeRTOSConfig.h`. This file specifies application-specific configuration settings for the kernel. For a description of each configuration option, see [Customization](https://freertos.org/a00110.html) on FreeRTOS.org.

To configure the FreeRTOS kernel to work with your device, include `FreeRTOSConfig.h`, and modify any additional FreeRTOS configurations.

For a description of each configuration option, see [Customization](https://freertos.org/a00110.html) configurations on FreeRTOS.org.

## Testing
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+ Run a simple FreeRTOS task to log a message to serial output console.
+ Verify that the message outputs to console as expected.