Firecracker

Founded 2018

Run secure, lightweight virtual machines for serverless computing.

Cost

Free

Rating

★ People love it

Time to value

Requires Expertise

You can use Firecracker to create and manage microVMs—lightweight virtual machines that combine the security of traditional VMs with the speed and efficiency of containers. Developed by Amazon Web Services, Firecracker is designed for serverless computing platforms like AWS Lambda and AWS Fargate. It utilizes the Linux Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) to run workloads in isolated environments, ensuring enhanced security and resource efficiency. Firecracker's minimalist design reduces memory footprint and attack surface, enabling rapid startup times and high-density deployment of microVMs on a single host.

What Firecracker does

Create and manage microVMsConfigure virtual CPUs and memory for microVMsMonitor and control resource usage with built-in rate limitersIntegrate microVMs with container orchestration toolsDeploy serverless applications in isolated environmentsOptimize hardware utilization by running thousands of microVMs on a single hostEnsure workload isolation and security in multi-tenant platformsAutomate microVM lifecycle management through RESTful APILaunches microVMs in as little as 125 millisecondsConsumes less than 5 MiB of memory per microVMProvides enhanced security through hardware virtualizationMinimalist design reduces attack surfaceSupports high-density deployment of microVMsBuilt-in rate limiters for optimized resource sharing