# libriscv/libriscv

The fastest RVA23 RISC-V sandbox

Repository: https://github.com/libriscv/libriscv
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/libriscv
Homepage: https://libriscv.no/docs/intro
Language: C++
License: BSD-3-Clause
License Family: permissive
Topics: risc-v, riscv-emulator, userspace, cpp, emulator, riscv, binary-translation, interpreter, cpp20, low-latency, lightweight, no-dependencies, cmake, multi-platform, ultra-low-latency, zero-dependency, jit
Last push: 2026-08-30T16:41:54+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 95/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 100, release rhythm 87, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2513, "days_push": 3, "days_rel": 10, "gap_med": 46, "n_releases_24m": 12}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1111, forks 92 (observed 2026-09-01T02:14:03.728596+00:00)

## What it is
libriscv is an embeddable C++20 RISC-V (RVA23) userspace emulator and sandboxing library focused on ultra-low-latency VM function calls and a small attack surface. It includes a CLI emulator with GDB remote debugging and supports guest programs compiled from C, C++, Rust, and other languages to RISC-V ELF binaries.

## Use cases
- sandbox untrusted scripts inside a game engine
- run user-generated mods in full isolation
- embed a fast scripting VM in a C++ application
- emulate RISC-V binaries with low overhead
- debug RISC-V guest programs via GDB
- run compute-heavy guest code with binary translation
- sandbox GDScript-like mods in Godot via SafeGDScript

## When to choose
- you need nanosecond-scale VM call latency for game scripts or modding
- you want a zero-dependency, small-footprint embeddable sandbox
- you need a secure isolation boundary for untrusted guest code
- you want to run RISC-V ELF binaries across platforms without recompiling the sandbox

## When to avoid
- you need full-system emulation including the OS kernel
- you need emulation of architectures other than RISC-V
- you need a mature multi-language host API beyond C/C++
- you want a managed or interpreted-language sandbox like WASM or Lua

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: active
- function: simulation, security, developer-tools, interpreter
- domain: developer-tools, security, simulation
- platform: cpp, cross-platform, windows, embedded
- tags: riscv, emulator, sandboxing, virtual-machine, low-latency, binary-translation, game-scripting, modding, no-dependencies, game-development, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- libriscv/libriscv (main) score 95

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-09-01T02:14:03.728596+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 2026-08-30T06:43:50.078963+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/libriscv/libriscv (fetched 2026-09-01T02:14:03.728596+00:00, sha debcfd337646)
  - homepage: https://libriscv.no/docs/intro (fetched 2026-08-29T12:47:34.163591+00:00, sha f0432bdaf457)
  - site_page: https://libriscv.no/docs/category/getting-started (fetched 2026-08-29T12:47:34.172692+00:00, sha ae6aea03f6d3)
  - site_page: https://libriscv.no/docs/getting_started/guest (fetched 2026-08-29T12:47:34.175129+00:00, sha a54c6e44b4c5)
  - site_page: https://libriscv.no/docs/getting_started/host (fetched 2026-08-29T12:47:34.177614+00:00, sha 03f521427b16)
  - site_page: https://libriscv.no/docs/category/concepts (fetched 2026-08-29T12:47:34.179568+00:00, sha 2aa018f456a2)
  - site_page: https://libriscv.no/docs/category/benchmarks (fetched 2026-08-29T12:47:34.181201+00:00, sha 98ce26b60e41)
  - site_page: https://libriscv.no/docs/category/host-languages (fetched 2026-08-29T12:47:34.182806+00:00, sha db3a641aff4d)
  - site_page: https://libriscv.no/docs/host_langs/cpp_lang (fetched 2026-08-29T12:47:34.184375+00:00, sha f69c08781b4c)
  - site_page: https://libriscv.no/docs/host_langs/c_lang (fetched 2026-08-29T12:47:34.186169+00:00, sha cbc398d8142c)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.