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SerenityOS avatar

SerenityOS/serenity

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33,477 stars·3,355 forks·C++·BSD-2-Clause·17 viewsserenityos.org↗

Serenity

SerenityOS is a complete, self-hosted desktop operating system built from the kernel up. It features a monolithic kernel architecture that manages system services, hardware drivers, and networking within a single address space. The system provides a full computing environment, including a proprietary windowing system and a suite of native desktop applications, all while maintaining a POSIX-compliant interface for standard system programming.

The project is distinguished by its integrated development workflow, which relies on a cross-compilation build pipeline to generate system images from host machines. Developers iterate on low-level changes within a virtualization-based environment that simulates physical hardware, allowing for isolated testing and debugging of the kernel and user-space components.

To support a broader software ecosystem, the system includes an integrated porting layer that adapts and compiles third-party open source applications to run natively. This infrastructure maps external dependencies to local libraries, enabling the execution of standard software within the custom environment. The build process is managed through a collection of scripts that orchestrate the compilation of the entire operating system and its associated software ports.

Features

  • Operating System Development - Builds and maintains a complete, self-hosted operating system from the kernel up.
  • Operating System Kernels - Implements a monolithic kernel architecture managing hardware drivers, file systems, and networking stacks.
  • Desktop Operating Systems - Provides a complete, self-hosted computing environment with a custom kernel and native applications.
  • Cross-Compilation Toolchains - Orchestrates the compilation of system source code into executable binaries for target architectures.
  • Windowing Systems - Manages display buffers and input events to provide a unified graphical desktop experience.
  • Virtualization Platforms - Provides a sandboxed execution platform for testing and iterating on system changes.
  • Hardware Emulators - Simulates physical hardware components to allow for isolated testing and debugging.
  • Virtualization Managers - Generates disk images and manages virtual machine execution for testing system changes.
  • Package Management Systems - Automates the download, configuration, and compilation of third-party software packages.
  • Platform SDKs - Provides kernel interfaces and graphical components for building native applications.

Star history

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Frequently asked questions

What does serenityos/serenity do?

SerenityOS is a complete, self-hosted desktop operating system built from the kernel up. It features a monolithic kernel architecture that manages system services, hardware drivers, and networking within a single address space. The system provides a full computing environment, including a proprietary windowing system and a suite of native desktop applications, all while maintaining a POSIX-compliant interface for standard system programming.

What are the main features of serenityos/serenity?

The main features of serenityos/serenity are: Operating System Development, Operating System Kernels, Desktop Operating Systems, Cross-Compilation Toolchains, Windowing Systems, Virtualization Platforms, Hardware Emulators, Virtualization Managers.

What are some open-source alternatives to serenityos/serenity?

Open-source alternatives to serenityos/serenity include: gurugio/lowlevelprogramming-university — This project is a comprehensive educational framework designed to guide learners through the complexities of systems… pervognsen/bitwise — Bitwise is a computer architecture education kit and a comprehensive set of guides for building a custom CPU,… redox-os/redox — Redox is a POSIX-compliant, microkernel-based operating system written entirely in Rust. By utilizing a memory-safe… utmapp/utm — UTM is a comprehensive virtualization suite that provides a unified interface for running guest operating systems on… microsoft/wsl — WSL is a compatibility layer and virtualization platform that enables the execution of native Linux binaries directly… klange/toaruos — ToaruOS is an independent operating system built from the ground up without external dependencies. It features a…

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