# dynup/kpatch

NOTICE: kpatch is deprecated

Repository: https://github.com/dynup/kpatch
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/kpatch
Language: C
License: GPL-2.0
License Family: copyleft
Last push: 2026-08-25T13:46:49+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 72/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 22, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4586, "days_push": 8, "days_rel": 309, "gap_med": 280, "n_releases_24m": 2}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1695, forks 346 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:23.622577+00:00)

## What it is
kpatch is a Linux dynamic kernel patching infrastructure that lets sysadmins apply critical security patches to a running kernel without rebooting or restarting processes. It is now deprecated and in maintenance mode, with its kpatch-build functionality replaced by the upstream klp-build tool in Linux 6.19+.

## Use cases
- patch a running linux kernel without rebooting
- apply critical kernel security fixes immediately without downtime
- avoid reboots while keeping the kernel patched
- live patch the kernel on production servers
- build kernel live patches from source diffs

## When to choose
- you need to apply kernel security patches to running systems without rebooting
- you run older kernels (pre-6.19) on x86-64, ppc64le, arm64, s390, or loongarch64 and need live patching
- you want more control over uptime without sacrificing security

## When to avoid
- you are on Linux 6.19 or newer - use the upstream klp-build tool instead
- you need new features or support for the latest kernels and toolchains
- you cannot tolerate the risk of kernel crashes or data loss from live patching

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: maintenance
- function: security, developer-tools, build-tool
- domain: operating-systems, security
- platform: cli
- tags: kernel, live-patching, kernel-patching, hot-patching, uptime, sysadmin, deprecated, devops, linux

## Member repositories
- dynup/kpatch (main) score 72

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:23.622577+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 2026-08-30T03:37:56.242970+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/dynup/kpatch (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:23.622577+00:00, sha 3b656f721ccc)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.