AstraOSAn OS with its own kernel
Written from scratch – no Linux inside.
AstraOS is an operating system with its own kernel, written from scratch. It uses no Linux or Windows code. How it started, what it does and how it is tested.
What “own kernel” means
The kernel is the core of an operating system: it talks to the hardware and keeps programs apart. Most new systems reuse the Linux kernel. AstraOS does not. Its kernel is written from scratch and has about 816 KB.
The decision
At the end of October 2026 we tried AstraOS on top of Linux. It worked, but it was not what we wanted. On 31 October came the decision to go back to the own kernel. Read it in the devlog and the story.
What the kernel does today
- Starts on old (BIOS) and new (UEFI) PCs and on ARM64.
- Runs several processor cores at once.
- USB, hard disks, files, network and sound.
- Desktop with windows, apps and a web browser.
- Every step is tested in a virtual computer.
More on the kernel page. Related: OS in 64 MB RAM, OS written by AI.
AstraOS is an early pre-alpha. Alpha 0.1 comes on 10 November 2026 at 19:00 and runs in a window with AstraOS Starter for Windows. Everything below is tested in a virtual computer, not yet on real hardware.