GStars
    google

    google/gvisor

    #109 this week

    Application Kernel for Containers

    devops
    kubernetes
    containers
    docker
    kernel
    linux
    oci
    Go
    Apache-2.0
    19.6K stars
    2.0K forks
    19.6K GitHub watchers
    Updated Oct 12, 2026
    View on GitHub

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    Where it stands

    Rank, growth pace and release cadence relative to everything GStars tracks.

    Ranks #109 of 2,503 repositories GStars tracks this week (top 4%).

    5 releases in the last 90 days, the latest 3 days ago, with 349 contributors on GitHub.

    Peaked at #34 in the weekly ranking the week of Aug 9, its best in the past year.

    Use Cases & Benefits

    • Provides an application kernel that isolates containerized applications from the host OS by implementing a Linux-like interface in userspace using Go.
    • Offers strong security isolation with lower resource overhead and faster startup than traditional VMs by running as a userspace process rather than a full virtual machine.
    • Use for sandboxing untrusted container workloads in Kubernetes or Docker environments to reduce risk of container escape vulnerabilities.
    • Use for developing secure multi-tenant container platforms that require kernel isolation without sacrificing container tooling compatibility.
    • Use for research and development of container security models that need a customizable, memory-safe Linux kernel interface implemented in Go.

    Should you depend on it?

    License terms, project hygiene and risks, from GitHub metadata and GStars' snapshots.

    License

    Apache 2.0

    Permissive: commercial use, modification and redistribution are allowed with attribution; includes an explicit patent grant from contributors.

    Community files

    • README: present
    • Contributing guide: present
    • Code of conduct: present

    Watch-outs

    No watch-outs from GStars' checks.

    General guidance from repository metadata, not legal advice. How we score

    From the README

    gVisor provides a strong layer of isolation between running applications and the host operating system. It is an application kernel that implements a Linux-like interface. Unlike Linux, it is written in a memory-safe language (Go) and runs in userspace.

    gVisor includes an Open Container Initiative (OCI) runtime called runsc that makes it easy to work with existing container tooling. The runsc runtime integrates with Docker and Kubernetes, making it simple to run sandboxed containers.

    gVisor takes a distinct third approach, providing many security benefits of VMs while maintaining the lower resource footprint, fast startup, and flexibility of regular userspace applications.

    Containers are not a sandbox. While containers have revolutionized how we develop, package, and deploy applications, using them to run untrusted or potentially malicious code without additional isolation is not a good idea. While using a single, shared kernel allows for efficiency and performance gains, it also means that container escape is possible with a single vulnerability.

    Excerpt from the google/gvisor README on GitHub (Apache-2.0 license). © its authors.Read the full README on GitHub

    Daily snapshots

    Stars gained per day, and how forks and open issues moved, from GStars' daily snapshots

    Jul 15: +10Jul 16: -72Jul 17: -6Jul 18: +8Jul 19: +6Jul 20: +10Jul 21: +6Jul 22: +14Jul 23: +8Jul 24: +8Jul 25: +11Jul 26: +8Jul 27: +18Jul 28: +4Jul 29: +18Jul 30: +13Jul 31: +13Aug 1: +12Aug 2: +7Aug 3: +16Aug 4: +6Aug 5: +14Aug 6: +7Aug 7: +18Aug 8: +9Aug 9: +8Aug 10: +12Aug 11: +14Aug 12: +3Aug 29: +5Aug 30: +7Aug 31: +7Oct 5: +31Oct 6: +17Oct 7: +16Oct 8: +21Oct 9: +14Oct 10: +9Oct 11: +13Oct 12: +5

    +784 stars over 90 days across 45 snapshot days; best day +31 on Oct 5.

    Forks

    2.0K+208

    Open issues

    955+250

    Compared with peers in DevOps

    Fastest-growing repositories GStars tracks in this cohort for the week of Oct 11, by 7-day star growth

    View category →
    google/gvisor compared with DevOps repositories by stars, 7-day star growth, health score and last release
    RepositoryStars+7dHealthLast release
    DuarteSantos8/openGym12.3K+3.8K605 days ago
    Pumpkin-MC/Pumpkin12.3K+3817510 days ago
    go-gitea/gitea58.5K+183756 days ago
    docker/compose38.4K+1767513 days ago
    google/gvisor19.6K+140753 days ago
    traefik/traefik65.2K+133755 days ago
    Category median38.4K+18375—
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