Asterinas
lastmod 2025-06-23created 2025-06-231 edits
A new Linux-compatible kernel project
Features
- A Linux ABI-compatible kernel written in Rust that adopts a "framekernel" architecture, aiming to combine the advantages of monolithic kernels and microkernels
- All unsafe code is encapsulated inside a limited library, so the rest of the kernel services can be developed with safe Rust abstractions, achieving both memory safety and a simple shared-memory structure
- What sets it apart from existing Rust OSes such as RedLeaf, Tock, and Rust for Linux: hardware isolation support and general purpose, a Linux-compatible ABI, and running various languages in user space
- Pursues a minimal TCB (trusted computing base) and formal verification (using Verus), supports trusted execution environment hardware such as Intel TDX, and also provides OS development frameworks such as OSTD/OSDK separately
- Still in early development, with x86/RISC-V support and 206 system calls implemented; focused on Docker/container/cloud environments, but also trying desktop extensions such as X11/Xfce