# rcore-os/zCore

Zircon microkernel reimplemented in Rust.

Repository: https://github.com/rcore-os/zCore
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/zcore
Language: Rust
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: zircon, microkernel
Last push: 2024-04-15T04:21:10+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 23/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2479, "days_push": 870, "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 1777, forks 216 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:34.759501+00:00)

## What it is
zCore is a reimplementation of Google's Zircon microkernel written in safe Rust, runnable both as a userspace libos program and on bare metal (x86_64, RISC-V, and other architectures). It also provides a Linux-compatible mode, allowing Linux applications to run on top of the kernel.

## Use cases
- run a Zircon-compatible microkernel written in Rust
- study operating system kernel design in Rust
- run Linux apps on a Rust microkernel
- boot a custom kernel on RISC-V hardware
- experiment with libos-mode kernels in userspace

## When to choose
- you want a safe-Rust microkernel compatible with Zircon syscalls
- you need an educational or research OS kernel with Linux compatibility
- you want to run a kernel as a userspace libos for easier debugging

## When to avoid
- you need a production-grade, fully Zircon-compatible kernel like Fuchsia's
- you need broad hardware driver support or a general-purpose desktop OS
- you need long-term commercial support

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: active
- function: interpreter, embedded, concurrency
- domain: operating-systems, programming-languages, embedded-systems
- platform: rust, cpp
- tags: microkernel, zircon, os-kernel, rust-os, qemu, riscv, libos, research-os, linux

## Member repositories
- rcore-os/zCore (main) score 23

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:34.759501+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 2026-08-30T03:25:14.010834+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/rcore-os/zCore (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:34.759501+00:00, sha 1ae5094976c7)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.