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Tilck is a tiny, monolithic operating system kernel designed to be partially compatible with Linux at the binary level while maintaining extreme simplicity, low latency, and minimal resource usage. It is built primarily as an educational project, allowing developers to experiment with kernel development while still being able to run real Linux user-space applications without modification. The kernel is written in C and designed to run on architectures such as i686 and RISC-V, with future plans for broader hardware support. One of its defining characteristics is its deterministic behavior and very small memory footprint, enabling it to run on systems with extremely limited resources. Unlike Linux, tilck intentionally avoids complexity and large-scale features, focusing instead on clarity, robustness, and ease of understanding. It includes its own bootloader and supports integration with existing ones like GRUB, making it flexible for experimentation.
Features
- Linux binary compatibility for running existing applications
- Extremely low memory footprint and fast boot times
- Deterministic behavior with ultra low latency
- Support for multiple architectures including i686 and RISC-V
- Simple monolithic kernel design for easier understanding
- Built-in bootloader with support for external boot systems
Project Samples
