Firecracker

Firecracker is an open-source virtualization technology that enables creating and managing secure, lightweight microVMs (virtual machines) with fast startup times. It's built on Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) and designed for resource efficiency and security. Firecracker allows you to pack a large number of isolated applications and functions onto a single host machine, improving resource utilization and reducing the overhead associated with traditional virtual machines. This makes it well-suited for serverless computing, container orchestration, and secure multi-tenant environments. Firecracker provides the building blocks for secure, multi-tenant container runtimes, allowing developers to build platforms such as AWS Lambda and AWS Fargate. Its minimal device model reduces the attack surface, enhancing security. Its lightweight nature allows for rapid scaling and high density, leading to significant cost savings and improved performance compared to traditional VMs.