# illumos/illumos-gate

An open-source Unix operating system -- this is a read-only mirror of the official repository at https://code.illumos.org/plugins/gitiles/illumos-gate

Repository: https://github.com/illumos/illumos-gate
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/illumos-gate
Homepage: https://illumos.org
Language: C
License Family: other
Topics: illumos, unix, operating-system, os
Last push: 2026-08-26T19:59:16+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 77/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 5839, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases, no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1898, forks 816 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:51.160868+00:00)

## What it is
illumos-gate is the core source tree of illumos, an open-source Unix operating system descended from OpenSolaris. It provides advanced features such as DTrace debugging, ZFS filesystem, networking, and virtualization, and serves as the base for downstream distributions like OmniOS, OpenIndiana, and SmartOS.

## Use cases
- build a custom Unix operating system
- run a server OS with ZFS and DTrace
- develop kernel or systems software
- host virtual machines with KVM or bhyve
- contribute to an open-source Unix kernel
- build a storage appliance or NAS
- study operating system internals

## When to choose
- you need a Unix OS with ZFS, DTrace, and native zones
- you want to build or fork a downstream illumos distribution
- you are doing systems/kernel development or OS research
- you need a stable server or hypervisor platform with long-term support

## When to avoid
- you need broad consumer hardware or GPU support
- you want a large package ecosystem like Linux or BSD
- you cannot build on an illumos-based host (no cross-compilation)
- you need mainstream desktop or gaming support

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: networking, file-system
- domain: operating-systems, microservices
- platform: -
- tags: unix, kernel, open-source-operating-system, zfs, dtrace, openindiana, omnios, smartos, cddl, system-software, operating-system, virtualization, debugging, storage, x86, sparc, illumos

## Member repositories
- illumos/illumos-gate (main) score 77

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:51.160868+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T03:12:46.277290+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/illumos/illumos-gate (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:51.160868+00:00, sha 6fb71cfe1875)
  - homepage: https://illumos.org (fetched 2026-08-29T10:51:44.892555+00:00, sha d906f885d7d5)
  - site_page: https://illumos.org/docs/about/distro (fetched 2026-08-29T10:51:44.901826+00:00, sha 5559c157e07d)
  - site_page: https://illumos.org/docs/developers/build (fetched 2026-08-29T10:51:44.903891+00:00, sha 8ab3f5b1fb8f)
  - site_page: https://illumos.org/docs/contributing (fetched 2026-08-29T10:51:44.906250+00:00, sha 487ed285ded4)
  - site_page: https://illumos.org/docs/community/lists (fetched 2026-08-29T10:51:44.908517+00:00, sha 5ff6f9862d50)
  - site_page: https://illumos.org/docs (fetched 2026-08-29T10:51:44.910168+00:00, sha 889f942a5527)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.