Kerla is an experimental operating system kernel written in Rust with a Linux-compatible syscall interface. It aims to run Linux binaries in user space without relying on a traditional Linux kernel. Kerla combines the safety guarantees of Rust with a familiar POSIX-like programming model, making it a unique exploration into safe systems programming. Though early in development, it supports basic userspace execution and is a promising proof-of-concept for running Linux userland programs in a fully Rust-based kernel.

Features

  • Rust-written kernel for memory safety and modern design
  • Linux-compatible syscall interface for user programs
  • Capable of running statically linked Linux ELF binaries
  • x86_64 architecture support with basic multitasking
  • In-memory ext2 filesystem with file I/O support
  • Virtual memory management and paging system
  • Basic console output via VGA text mode
  • Minimal bootloader and kernel image for bare-metal testing
  • Focused on research and education in OS development

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License

Apache License V2.0

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Kerla Web Site

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Additional Project Details

Operating Systems

Linux, Mac, Windows

Programming Language

Rust

Related Categories

Rust Operating Systems

Registered

2025-03-28