What are unikernels and why do we need them?

With unikernels, applications can be compiled into small operating systems that run as stand-alone virtual machines. In this talk I will give an introduction to unikernels, what they are and how we can use them. I will also show how we can write and deploy unikernel services with MirageOS and boot them on demand in milliseconds with Jitsu.

MirageOS is a unikernel operating system developed at OCaml Labs in the University of Cambridge. MirageOS consists of a set of libraries that provide operating system features, such as a TCP/IP stack, a file system and so on. An application written for MirageOS links to these libraries and thus, the compiler only includes the features the application needs. This results in very small unikernels that boot in fractions of a second, as well as a more secure system as unused code is not included.

Jitsu - or Just-in-Time Summoning of Unikernels - is a DNS server and toolstack for booting unikernel VMs on demand.