# ioi/isolate

**Attribution required: if you use, quote, or summarise this content, you must credit and link back to [awesome-repositories.com](https://awesome-repositories.com/repository/ioi-isolate).**

1,441 stars · 202 forks · C · NOASSERTION

## Links

- GitHub: https://github.com/ioi/isolate
- awesome-repositories: https://awesome-repositories.com/repository/ioi-isolate.md

## Description

Isolate is a low-level sandbox designed to execute untrusted programs within a strictly controlled environment. It functions as a process isolation engine that prevents potentially harmful code from interacting with or damaging the host operating system.

The tool leverages Linux kernel primitives, including namespaces and control groups, to partition system resources and enforce hardware usage boundaries. By applying filesystem virtualization and system call filtering, it restricts the visibility and interaction of a process with the host, ensuring that untrusted applications operate only within defined security parameters.

Beyond basic containment, the software provides mechanisms for resource limiting and capability-based security to manage CPU, memory, and input-output consumption. It supports secure software testing by creating ephemeral, isolated environments that protect sensitive system files and hardware from unauthorized access.

## Tags

### Security & Cryptography

- [Untrusted Code Sandboxes](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/untrusted-code-sandboxes.md) — Contains untrusted code within a restricted environment to prevent unauthorized access to host system files. ([source](https://github.com/ioi/isolate#readme))
- [Hardware and Resource Restrictions](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/hardware-and-resource-restrictions.md) — Restricts process access to hardware and filesystem resources to maintain defined security boundaries.
- [Capability-Based Security](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/security/policies/capability-authorization/capability-based-security.md) — Enforces granular security policies by stripping unnecessary administrative rights from untrusted processes.
- [Filesystem Access Restrictions](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/server-access-controls/filesystem-access-restrictions.md) — Enforces strict boundaries on filesystem and hardware access to limit process interaction with the host. ([source](https://github.com/ioi/isolate#readme))
- [Seccomp Profiles](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/security-cryptography/system-call-filter-analysis/seccomp-profiles.md) — Hardens execution environments by restricting the set of kernel system calls a process can invoke.

### Operating Systems & Systems Programming

- [Linux Sandboxes](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/operating-systems-systems-programming/linux-sandboxes.md) — Uses kernel-level primitives like namespaces and cgroups to enforce strict boundaries on system resource usage.
- [Process Isolation](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/operating-systems-systems-programming/kernel-core-internals/process-and-memory-management/process-isolation.md) — Maintains strict separation between untrusted applications and host resources using OS-level security features.
- [Namespace-Based Isolation](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/operating-systems-systems-programming/kernel-core-internals/process-and-memory-management/process-isolation/namespace-based-isolation.md) — Partitions system resources using kernel namespaces to provide processes with an independent view of the operating system.
- [Container Copy-on-Write Layers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/operating-systems-systems-programming/virtualization-emulation/virtualization-platforms/virtualization-architectures/copy-on-write-disk-formats/container-copy-on-write-layers.md) — Provides ephemeral, private filesystem views by sharing underlying data blocks until modifications occur.

### Data & Databases

- [Virtualized Filesystem Layers](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/data-databases/storage-abstraction/local-filesystem-storage/virtualized-filesystem-layers.md) — Restricts process visibility to a specific subdirectory to prevent unauthorized access to the host filesystem.

### DevOps & Infrastructure

- [Containerized Security Tooling](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/devops-infrastructure/containerized-security-tooling.md) — Provides a low-level sandbox that enforces process boundaries and resource limits for untrusted software.

### System Administration & Monitoring

- [Control Group Resource Limiting](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/system-administration-monitoring/resource-usage-limiters/control-group-resource-limiting.md) — Limits CPU, memory, and I/O consumption for isolated processes using kernel-level control groups.
- [Kernel Resource Limiting](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/system-administration-monitoring/resource-usage-limiters/kernel-resource-limiting.md) — Caps CPU, memory, and I/O consumption for specific processes to ensure system stability.

### Testing & Quality Assurance

- [Software Testing](https://awesome-repositories.com/f/testing-quality-assurance/software-testing.md) — Provides controlled environments for evaluating third-party code without risking sensitive system files.