# nuta/kerla

A new operating system kernel with Linux binary compatibility written in Rust.

Repository: https://github.com/nuta/kerla
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/kerla
Language: Rust
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: operating-system-kernel, rust, operating-system
Last push: 2026-02-23T14:16:30+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 54/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 69, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 1933, "days_push": 191, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 3468, forks 96 (observed 2026-08-28T04:08:05.877772+00:00)

## What it is
Kerla is a monolithic operating system kernel written from scratch in Rust that aims to be compatible with the Linux ABI, running unmodified Linux binaries. It supports common syscalls, tmpfs/devfs, TCP/IP via smoltcp, and runs on QEMU and Firecracker.

## Use cases
- run Linux binaries on a Rust-written kernel
- experiment with OS kernel development in Rust
- boot a custom kernel in QEMU or Firecracker microVMs
- study Linux syscall implementation
- run Docker images as a root filesystem on a non-Linux kernel

## When to choose
- you want a learning or research kernel with Linux binary compatibility
- you're exploring OS development in Rust
- you need a minimal kernel for microVM experiments

## When to avoid
- you need a production-ready OS or full Linux compatibility
- you need disk support or broad driver coverage
- you need an actively maintained project - it is explicitly no longer maintained

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: abandoned
- function: embedded, networking
- domain: operating-systems, developer-tools
- platform: -
- tags: os-kernel, linux-abi, rust, monolithic-kernel, firecracker, initramfs, operating-system, linux, x86_64, qemu

## Member repositories
- nuta/kerla (main) score 54

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:05.877772+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 2026-08-29T18:36:40.461591+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/nuta/kerla (fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:05.877772+00:00, sha c4621557745a)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.