Moss is a Unix-like, Linux-compatible kernel written in Rust and Aarch64 assembly.
It features a modern, asynchronous core, a modular architecture abstraction layer, and binary compatibility with Linux userspace applications (currently capable of running most BusyBox commands).
↫ Moss’ GitHub page
I mean, hobby operating systems and kernels written in Rust aren’t exactly the most unique right now, but that doesn’t make them any less interesting for the kinds of people that frequent a site called OSNews. Moss has quite a few things going for it, including support for enough Linux system calls to run most BusyBox commands, complex memory and process management, use of Rust’s async/await model in the kernel, and much more.
Now it seems everybody wants to make Linux compatible kernels in Rust. We also have Maestro and Asterinas.
Thanks to mention for this news the other kernels.
Seems that the big difference of the new implementations of the Linux-kernel in Rust is the license. Sure, if you beginning by zero, you can think about it, to make something “better”. And so to find a – in your eyes – “better” license.
Asterinas is licensed under the MPL.
Maestro is licensed under the AGPL.
Moss is licensed under the MIT-license
And Kerla is dual-licensed under MIT-license and APL2 (which is like the license of Rust).
But currently no one have choosen the GPL (v2), which is the license of the Linux-kernel.
And it would be helpful, to differ the activity and progress of the four projects. Here the results on GitHub:
Asterinas: Last commit yesterday. 3,116 commits. First commit: May 17, 2022.
Maestro: Last commit 2 weeks ago. 3,483 commits. First commit: Dec 22, 2018.
Moss: Last commit yesterday. 52 commits. First commit: Nov 16, 2025.
Kerla: Last commit last year. 633 commits. First commit: Feb 27, 2021.
The biggest problem, like in all of the alternative kernel, is the drivers.
I can’t wait for the announcement about Wayland being rewritten in Rust.
Yepp!!