Let's Build a Linux Just for Wasm! - Andrew Randall & Ralph Squillace, Microsoft
Channel: The Linux Foundation
Date: 2023-09-11

Let's Build a Linux Just for Wasm! - Andrew Randall & Ralph Squillace, Microsoft

Not long after Docker popularized the concept of containers, CoreOS came on the scene with a "container-optimized Linux" that was designed for just one thing: deploying Docker containers. What if we took that concept one step further, and built a minimal Linux distribution that came with just the things you need to deploy Wasm modules securely and at scale? This session will introduce work in progress on a Wasm-optimized version of Flatcar Container Linux, a community distro that is, at the time of proposing this session, in the process of submission to the CNCF. We leverage recent developments in systemd to build immutable system extensions that enable a Wasm-optimized version of Flatcar. We will review the benefits to the Wasm community in terms of performance, security and manageability, consider potential directions for future development, and seek feedback and participation in the project.