Each workload gets real hardware isolation — its own kernel on Hypervisor.framework (macOS), KVM (Linux), or the Windows Hypervisor Platform (Windows). libkrun VMM with custom kernel: libkrunfw. Pack it into a .smolmachine and it runs anywhere the host architecture matches, with zero dependencies.
Images use the OCI format — the same open standard Docker uses. Any image on Docker Hub, ghcr.io, or other OCI registries can be pulled and booted as a microVM. No Docker daemon required.
Recent and related:
Show HN: Smol machines – subsecond coldstart, portable virtual machines - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47808268 - April 2026 (152 comments)
This description from the https://github.com/smol-machines/smolvm is helpful