Firecracker is a virtual machine monitor that leverages hardware-assisted virtualization to create and manage isolated execution environments. It functions as a lightweight runtime designed to launch virtual machines with minimal memory overhead and near-instantaneous startup times, providing the security of traditional hardware virtualization with the efficiency of containerized workloads.
The project distinguishes itself through a security-focused architecture that enforces strict process boundaries using system-level barriers and restricted user privileges. It minimizes the attack surface by implementing a minimalist device model, which includes only the essential virtualized hardware required for booting. Management of the virtual machine lifecycle and hardware configuration is handled through a synchronous network-based control plane, allowing for precise runtime adjustments to CPU, memory, and device attachments.
The system supports high-performance communication between the guest operating system and host resources through standardized device emulation. It is designed for multi-tenant infrastructure, enabling the secure execution of concurrent workloads on shared physical hardware. The software is distributed as a single statically linked binary to simplify deployment across diverse host environments.
