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TechQuiet 12d · day 15

Redox OS finishes NLnet-funded io_uring-style Ring Buffer I/O system

The Rust microkernel project reports completion of its 'Redox Rings' async I/O API, funded by an NLnet/Horizon Europe grant.

newest coverage 12d agosummary written 12d ago6 pieces29 likes & upvotes1 comments NewswiresHacker NewsLobstersMastodon

What to know

  • Redox OS, a Rust microkernel OS, completed an NLnet-funded project building 'Redox Rings', an io_uring-like asynchronous I/O API for userspace scheme processes.
  • The API allows zero-copy I/O between applications and system services (e.g. RedoxFS and the NVMed storage driver) and doubles as a general IPC mechanism.
  • NLnet's NGI Zero Commons Fund that financed the work is ending, but new NLnet funds are open for applications before November 3, 2026.
  • LWN discussion compared Redox to the Xous microkernel, concluding the two target different use cases (full desktop/server OS vs. secure embedded firmware).

The dispute Whether Redox and Xous, as separate Rust microkernel efforts, should ideally converge on shared primitives or are justifiably disjoint given their different target use cases.

many voices

Redox and Xous serve fundamentally different purposes and don't need to converge on shared design.

  • “RedoxOS, as it says, is meant to serve as a full Linux-like OS, including compatability with the full ecosystem of software that this implies.”

    jmalcolm · LWN ↗
some voices

It would be preferable if Rust microkernel projects shared more design primitives rather than diverging.

  • “Still, I guess I would have liked for the projects to share microkernels to a degree, or at least design primitives.”

    pixelpapst · LWN ↗

Redox OS team Developers of the Redox microkernel OSIbuki, Anhad and Jacob Contributors to the Ring Buffer projectNLnet Foundation Grant funder via NGI Zero Commons Fund and Horizon EuropeJens Axboe Creator of Linux's io_uring interface

How it unfolded 4 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

Peak 2 pieces in 4h at Oct 28, 9 AM; 6 pieces over 16 days (1 article · 5 posts) Oct 28, 9 AM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Newswires 1, Hacker News 1Oct 28, 1 PM — quietOct 28, 5 PM — quietOct 28, 9 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Lobsters 1Oct 29, 1 AM — quietOct 29, 5 AM — quietOct 29, 9 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Hacker News 1Oct 29, 1 PM — quietOct 29, 5 PM — quietOct 29, 9 PM — quietOct 30, 1 AM — quietOct 30, 5 AM — quietOct 30, 9 AM — quietOct 30, 1 PM — quietOct 30, 5 PM — quietOct 30, 9 PM — quietOct 31, 1 AM — quietOct 31, 5 AM — quietOct 31, 9 AM — quietOct 31, 1 PM — 2 pieces · 2 posts — Mastodon 2Oct 31, 5 PM — quietOct 31, 9 PM — quietNov 1, 1 AM — quietNov 1, 4 AM — quietNov 1, 8 AM — quietNov 1, 12 PM — quietNov 1, 4 PM — quietNov 1, 8 PM — quietNov 2, 12 AM — quietNov 2, 4 AM — quietNov 2, 8 AM — quietNov 2, 12 PM — quietNov 2, 4 PM — quietNov 2, 8 PM — quietNov 3, 12 AM — quietNov 3, 4 AM — quietNov 3, 8 AM — quietNov 3, 12 PM — quietNov 3, 4 PM — quietNov 3, 8 PM — quietNov 4, 12 AM — quietNov 4, 4 AM — quietNov 4, 8 AM — quietNov 4, 12 PM — quietNov 4, 4 PM — quietNov 4, 8 PM — quietNov 5, 12 AM — quietNov 5, 4 AM — quietNov 5, 8 AM — quietNov 5, 12 PM — quietNov 5, 4 PM — quietNov 5, 8 PM — quietNov 6, 12 AM — quietNov 6, 4 AM — quietNov 6, 8 AM — quietNov 6, 12 PM — quietNov 6, 4 PM — quietNov 6, 8 PM — quietNov 7, 12 AM — quietNov 7, 4 AM — quietNov 7, 8 AM — quietNov 7, 12 PM — quietNov 7, 4 PM — quietNov 7, 8 PM — quietNov 8, 12 AM — quietNov 8, 4 AM — quietNov 8, 8 AM — quietNov 8, 12 PM — quietNov 8, 4 PM — quietNov 8, 8 PM — quietNov 9, 12 AM — quietNov 9, 4 AM — quietNov 9, 8 AM — quietNov 9, 12 PM — quietNov 9, 4 PM — quietNov 9, 8 PM — quietNov 10, 12 AM — quietNov 10, 4 AM — quietNov 10, 8 AM — quietNov 10, 12 PM — quietNov 10, 4 PM — quietNov 10, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quietToday, 4 AM — quietToday, 8 AM — quietToday, 12 PM — quietToday, 4 PM — quiet 1234
Oct 29Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 6Nov 8Nov 10now · 8:18 PM ET
  1. 4

    Mastodon post relays the Redox Rings summary link

    A Mastodon user shared the Redox Rings project summary link along with the earlier Hacker News discussion thread, continuing circulation of the report.

  2. 1 day quiet
  3. 3

    LWN commenters compare Redox's microkernel to Xous

    In LWN's comment thread on the project summary, readers debated how Redox's full-OS microkernel design compares to Xous, a Rust-based embedded/IoT secure microkernel, with commenters concluding the two serve different purposes.

    “Redox is much more of a traditional full OS microkernel and resource manager. Instead of "everything is a file", Redox goes with "everything is a URL".”
    — jmalcolm
  4. 2

    Lobsters thread surfaces the full project summary

    A Lobsters submission reproduced the full Redox Rings writeup, explaining the design: applications submit requests directly to userspace scheme processes via shared memory, avoiding kernel involvement and memory copies.

    “This phase of the work finished up in September, as the last pieces were put in place.”
    — Redox OS team, Project blog · source
  5. 1

    LWN and Hacker News pick up the Redox report

    LWN and Hacker News posted summaries/links to the Redox Rings project writeup, describing it as an io_uring-like I/O mechanism for the Unix-like Rust microkernel OS.

    1. 1 outlet Redox OS ring buffers project summary

      first by LWN, 15d ago

  6. background

    Redox team publishes Ring Buffers project summary — The Redox OS blog posted a writeup describing completion of an NLnet-funded project to build io_uring-like Ring Buffer support at the system task level, thanking contributors Ibuki, Anhad and Jacob and funders NLnet, NGI Zero Commons Fund, and Horizon Europe.

What people are saying 0 voices from 0 sites · verbatim