# lxc/lxc

LXC - Linux Containers

Repository: https://github.com/lxc/lxc
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/lxc
Homepage: https://linuxcontainers.org/lxc
Language: C
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: c, lxc, containers, hacktoberfest
Last push: 2026-08-20T13:56:40+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 84/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 98, release rhythm 57, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 5108, "days_push": 13, "days_rel": 126, "gap_med": 104, "n_releases_24m": 6}
- 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 5248, forks 1182 (observed 2026-08-28T04:09:13.664661+00:00)

## What it is
LXC is a low-level Linux container runtime providing a userspace interface to kernel containment features like namespaces, cgroups, and mandatory access control. It lets users create and manage system containers that behave like lightweight VMs without a separate kernel, via a stable C API, CLI tools, and language bindings.

## Use cases
- run lightweight linux vms without hypervisor overhead
- create unprivileged containers as a non-root user
- isolate services using namespaces and cgroups
- manage system containers from python or go scripts
- host multiple isolated linux environments on one machine

## When to choose
- you need system containers close to a full VM experience on Linux
- you want mature, production-proven containerization with unprivileged support
- you need a stable C API or language bindings to script container lifecycle

## When to avoid
- you want application containers with an image/registry ecosystem - use Docker or Podman
- you need a higher-level management layer with VMs, clustering, and storage - use Incus or LXD
- you need cross-platform containers on macOS or Windows

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: stable
- function: container-runtime, security, cli, sdk
- domain: operating-systems
- platform: c, python, go, lua, ruby
- tags: system-containers, unprivileged-containers, namespaces, cgroups, liblxc, virtualization, containers, devops, linux

## Member repositories
- lxc/lxc (main) score 84

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:13.664661+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 2026-08-29T17:59:34.341858+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/lxc/lxc (fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:13.664661+00:00, sha 747fa066c67a)
  - homepage: https://linuxcontainers.org/lxc (fetched 2026-08-29T08:54:53.052182+00:00, sha 583f28b318f7)
  - site_page: https://linuxcontainers.org/incus/docs/main (fetched 2026-08-29T08:54:53.054769+00:00, sha e7ded83d765b)
  - site_page: https://linuxcontainers.org/incus-os/docs/main (fetched 2026-08-29T08:54:53.056997+00:00, sha 03cf5084e71c)
  - site_page: https://linuxcontainers.org/lxc/getting-started (fetched 2026-08-29T08:54:53.058736+00:00, sha bc8a7ac428c9)
  - site_page: https://linuxcontainers.org/lxc/documentation (fetched 2026-08-29T08:54:53.060774+00:00, sha 12b232992f56)
  - site_page: https://linuxcontainers.org/lxcfs/getting-started (fetched 2026-08-29T08:54:53.062461+00:00, sha da97669c7916)
  - site_page: https://linuxcontainers.org/distrobuilder/docs/latest (fetched 2026-08-29T08:54:53.064300+00:00, sha b769c8605a16)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.