# FastVM/minivm

A VM That is Dynamic and Fast

Repository: https://github.com/FastVM/minivm
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/minivm
Language: C
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Last push: 2025-06-08T06:12:32+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 34/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 25, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 1992, "days_push": 451, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1666, forks 58 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:19.537400+00:00)

## What it is
MiniVM is a small but optimizing virtual machine and runtime written in C11, featuring a just-in-time compiler built on Cuik's TB backend. It currently targets Linux x86-64, FreeBSD amd64, Windows x64, and WebAssembly, and can run Lua-based benchmarks.

## Use cases
- run dynamic language bytecode on a fast lightweight VM
- experiment with JIT compilation techniques
- embed a small optimizing runtime in a C project
- compile a tiny VM binary for size-constrained environments
- run Lua scripts with fast startup times
- target WebAssembly with a compact VM

## When to choose
- you need a small, fast VM with JIT compilation and low startup overhead
- you want to experiment with or contribute to VM/JIT design in C
- you need a VM that builds to tiny binaries with GCC and runs on x86-64 or WASM

## When to avoid
- you need a production-hardened VM with broad platform and language support
- you require mature tooling, extensive documentation, or long-term stability guarantees
- you need a VM for platforms other than x86-64, FreeBSD, Windows, or WebAssembly

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: experimental
- function: interpreter, compiler, benchmarking
- domain: programming-languages, compilers, performance, developer-tools
- platform: windows, wasm, cpp, c
- tags: virtual-machine, jit-compiler, lua, c11, theo-buehler-tb, dynamic-runtime, linux

## Member repositories
- FastVM/minivm (main) score 34

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:19.537400+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 2026-08-30T03:42:56.549791+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/FastVM/minivm (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:19.537400+00:00, sha c991b05ab147)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.