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🔧 runc

runc

A CLI tool for spawning and running containers according to the OCI specification.

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Overview

runc is a lightweight, portable container runtime that provides the foundation for running containers. It was donated by Docker to the Open Container Initiative (OCI) and serves as the reference implementation of the OCI runtime specification. It is a low-level tool used by higher-level runtimes like containerd and CRI-O.

✨ Key Features

  • OCI Runtime Specification implementation
  • Full support for Linux namespaces and cgroups
  • Support for security features like SELinux, AppArmor, and seccomp
  • Rootless container support
  • Live migration support (with CRIU)

🎯 Key Differentiators

  • Reference implementation of the OCI runtime spec
  • Wide adoption and stability
  • Written in Go

Unique Value: Provides a standardized and reliable low-level interface for running containers, ensuring interoperability across the container ecosystem.

🎯 Use Cases (2)

As the underlying execution layer for higher-level container runtimes Directly running containers for testing or specialized use cases

✅ Best For

  • The default low-level runtime for containerd, CRI-O, and Docker

💡 Check With Vendor

Verify these considerations match your specific requirements:

  • General-purpose container management by end-users (lacks image management and networking features)
  • Complex application deployments without a higher-level tool

🏆 Alternatives

crun

While crun is faster and more lightweight, runc has a longer history and is more widely deployed.

💻 Platforms

Linux

✅ Offline Mode Available

🔌 Integrations

containerd CRI-O Podman Docker

💰 Pricing

Contact for pricing
Free Tier Available

Free tier: runc is a free and open-source project.

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