gVisor is an application kernel developed by Google that provides a strong layer of isolation between applications and the host operating system. Written in Go, it implements a Linux-compatible system call interface that runs entirely in user space, creating a secure sandboxed environment for containers. Unlike traditional virtual machines or lightweight syscall filters, gVisor follows a third approach that offers many of the security benefits of virtualization while maintaining the speed, resource efficiency, and flexibility of containers. Its key runtime, runsc, integrates seamlessly with container ecosystems such as Docker and Kubernetes, making it easy to deploy sandboxed workloads using familiar tools. By intercepting and safely handling syscalls from applications, gVisor reduces the attack surface of the host kernel, mitigating risks associated with running untrusted or potentially malicious code in containerized environments.
Features
- Implements a Linux-like kernel interface entirely in user space
- Provides strong application isolation for containers
- Includes runsc, an OCI-compliant runtime compatible with Docker and Kubernetes
- Written in Go, ensuring memory safety and reduced kernel exposure
- Delivers VM-level security with container-level speed and resource usage
- Supports x86_64 and ARM64 architectures with Bazel-based builds
Project Samples
