# RedoxOS

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Microkernel OS written in Rust

Operating system

Redox Redox running Ion shell in Orbital windowing system Developer Jeremy Soller, Redox Developers[1] Written in Rust, assembly OS family Unix-like Working state Current Source model Free software Initial release 20 April 2015; 11 years ago (2015-04-20) Latest preview 0.9.0 / 9 September 2024; 21 months ago (2024-09-09) Repository gitlab.redox-os.org/redox-os/redox Marketing target Desktop, workstation, server Available in English Package manager pkgutils Supported platforms IA-32, AMD64, AArch64, RISC-V Kernel type Microkernel Userland Custom Influenced by POSIX[2] Default user interface Command-line, Orbital License MIT Official website www.redox-os.org

**Redox** is a [Unix-like](/source/Unix-like) [operating system](/source/Operating_system) based on a [microkernel](/source/Microkernel) design. It is community-developed, released as [free and open-source software](/source/Free_and_open-source_software) and distributed under an [MIT License](/source/MIT_License). Written in the programming language [Rust](/source/Rust_(programming_language)), Redox aims to be a general-purpose operating system that is safe and reliable. It is currently in a pre-stable status.

## Development

Redox was created by Jeremy Soller and was first published on 20 April 2015 on [GitHub](/source/GitHub).[3] Redox gets its name from the [reduction-oxidation reactions](/source/Redox) in chemistry; one redox reaction is the corrosion of iron, also called [rust](/source/Rust). Soller himself is also an engineer at [System76](/source/System76).[4]

Redox has a focus on safety, stability, and performance.[5][6][7] It is inspired by prior [kernels](/source/Kernel_(operating_system)) and operating systems, such as [SeL4](/source/L4_microkernel_family#High_assurance:_seL4), [MINIX](/source/MINIX), [Plan 9](/source/Plan_9_from_Bell_Labs), [BSD](/source/Berkeley_Software_Distribution), and [Linux](/source/Linux).[8] Current platform targets include 32-bit and 64-bit x86, AArch64, and 64-bit RISC-V.

As of September 2024, the Redox repository had a total of 97 contributors.[9] The OS is not yet [stable](/source/Software_release_life_cycle).[10]

[Andrew S. Tanenbaum](/source/Andrew_S._Tanenbaum), the author of MINIX, commented in 2025 that Redox "has real potential, but it is not there yet, but is worth watching...."[11]

## Components and apps

Redox provides packages ([memory allocator](/source/Memory_allocator), [file system](/source/File_system), [display manager](/source/Display_manager), core utilities, etc.) that together make up a functional operating system. Redox relies on an ecosystem of software written in Rust by members of the project. These include the Redox kernel, the Ralloc memory allocator, and the RedoxFS [file system](/source/File_system) which is inspired by the [ZFS](/source/ZFS) file system.[12]

pkgutils is Redox's [package manager](/source/Package_manager), while relibc is the [C standard library](/source/C_standard_library). It has a display and [window manager](/source/Window_manager) named Orbital, which manages the display, and handles requests for window creation, redraws, and event polling. The Ion shell are the underlying [library](/source/Computer_library) for [shells](/source/Shell_(computing)) and command execution in Redox.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

Redox includes a [command-line interface](/source/Command-line_interface) (CLI) [text editor](/source/Text_editor) similar to [vi](/source/Vi_(text_editor)), called Sodium. There are numerous [graphical user interface](/source/Graphical_user_interface) (GUI) applications preloaded including a [web browser](/source/Web_browser) ([NetSurf](/source/NetSurf)) that uses its own [layout engine](/source/Browser_engine), a [file manager](/source/File_manager) (File Browser), an ANSI type [terminal emulator](/source/Terminal_emulator) (Orbterm), and various other tools like a [software calculator](/source/Software_calculator) and text editor.

As of May 2024, several applications from the [COSMIC desktop](/source/COSMIC_desktop), like the [terminal emulator](/source/Terminal_emulator), [file manager](/source/File_manager) and [text editor](/source/Text_editor) have been incorporated into Redox.[13]

## See also

- [Rust for Linux](/source/Rust_for_Linux)

- [LynxOS](/source/LynxOS)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Redox Contributors"](https://gitlab.redox-os.org/redox-os/redox/graphs/master). *GitLab*. Retrieved 24 March 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["What is Redox?"](https://web.archive.org/web/20200524084835/https://doc.redox-os.org/book/ch01-02-what-is-redox.html). Archived from [the original](https://doc.redox-os.org/book/ch01-02-what-is-redox.html) on 24 May 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Soller, Jeremy (20 April 2015). ["Initial commit of Rustboot-based OS"](https://github.com/redox-os/redox/commit/0edea108a1d8112b3aa4e8ae7b3d8d41c5d0ed85). *GitHub*. GitHub, Inc. Retrieved 9 January 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [https://www.theregister.com/2019/11/29/after_four_years_rusty_os_nearly_selfhosting/](https://www.theregister.com/2019/11/29/after_four_years_rusty_os_nearly_selfhosting/)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-HomeWeb_5-0)** ["Redox - Your Next(Gen) OS"](https://www.redox-os.org/). *www.redox-os.org*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Weisinger, Dick (4 May 2016). ["Operating Systems: Rust Redox – An Next-Generation Attempt to Plug Linux OS Gaps"](http://formtek.com/blog/operating-systems-rust-redox-an-next-generation-attempt-to-plug-linux-os-gaps/). *Formtek*. Formtek, Inc. Retrieved 17 January 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** . Yegulalp, Serdar (21 March 2016). ["Rust's Redox OS could show Linux a few new tricks"](http://www.infoworld.com/article/3046100/open-source-tools/rusts-redox-os-could-show-linux-a-few-new-tricks.html). *InfoWorld*. San Francisco: IDG Communications, Inc. Retrieved 17 January 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["General FAQ"](https://www.redox-os.org/faq/). *www.redox-os.org*. Retrieved 2025-12-09.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Redox Repository"](https://github.com/redox-os/redox). *GitHub*. Retrieved 2016-03-26.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Redox OS is the fastest Linux distro I've tested, and you should try it despite what it's missing"](https://www.zdnet.com/article/redox-os-is-the-fastest-linux-distro-ive-tested-and-you-should-try-it-despite-what-its-missing/). *ZDNET*. Retrieved 2024-12-13.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Tanenbaum, Andrew S. (Nov 15, 2025). ["Gallimaufry"](https://www.electoral-vote.com/evp2025/Senate/Maps/Nov15.html#cfwal). *[electoral-vote.com](/source/Electoral-vote.com)*. Retrieved 2025-11-17.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** ["RedoxFS"](https://doc.redox-os.org/book/redoxfs.html). *RedoxFS Documentation*. Retrieved 2025-09-26.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** [https://www.redox-os.org/news/this-month-240531/](https://www.redox-os.org/news/this-month-240531/)

## External links

- [Official website](https://www.redox-os.org)

- [Official GitLab instance](https://gitlab.redox-os.org/redox-os/redox)

- [Redox](https://github.com/redox-os/redox) on [GitHub](/source/GitHub)

- [Redox](https://openhub.net/p/redox-os/) at [Open Hub](/source/Open_Hub)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [RedoxOS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RedoxOS) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RedoxOS?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.