nowfound

Dev tools · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Running TempleOS in user space without virtualization

TempleOS is an experimental OS designed to be simple and self-hosted with a JIT compiler. I was mesmerized by it but didn't like the hassle of using virtual machines to boot it up and move files around from the virtual drive. My project lets you run TempleOS as an app of some sort instead of using a virtual machine to run it - this brings a lot of benefits like speed, seamless filesystem integration (virtual machine development with stock TempleOS is really a pain.), command-line mode where you can code in HolyC on the command line instead of TempleOS' GUI. Its user-space nature lets it do…

This project runs TempleOS, an experimental self-hosted operating system with a JIT compiler, as a user-space application instead of requiring virtual machine emulation. It eliminates the hassle of VM file transfers… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Running TempleOS in user space without virtualization launched in 2024; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

  1. 1

    An application innovation platform delivering a comprehensive experience with tools to empower organizations to modernize and build new applications, accelerate AI adoption, and fuel growth.

    2013 · coreos.com · its alternatives →

  2. 2

    The operating system for smart frames. Runs on a Raspberry Pi or ESP32, renders on e-ink, HDMI and LCD displays. Standalone, self-hosted, or managed from FrameOS Cloud - everything renders on the device.

    2024 · frameos.net · its alternatives →

  3. 3

    https://lisagui.com/info.html This is a web OS I wrote in vanilla JS that looks like the Apple Lisa Office System (1983-85), with other contemporaneous influences and additional improvements and features. It's currently in alpha and isn't remotely bug free. I had been holding off on posting this here until it was somewhat presentable and useful. Please note; the Lisa conforms more literally to the desktop metaphor than most modern GUIs - some of the important differences are mentioned in the readme. This is a complete recreation of the UI in JS; it all renders to a single…

    2025 · alpha.lisagui.com · its alternatives →

  4. 4

    Finally got my hobby OS up and running on real hardware. I love the old IBM thinkpads, so thought it was the perfect machine to get it working on. Been working on it for quite some time now, but this has been a big milestone!

    2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

  5. 5

    I wanted to see how fast an isolated code sandbox could start if I never had to boot a fresh VM. So instead of launching a new microVM per execution, I boot Firecracker once with Python and numpy already loaded, then snapshot the full VM state. Every execution after that creates a new KVM VM backed by a `MAP_PRIVATE` mapping of the snapshot memory, so Linux gives me copy-on-write pages automatically. That means each sandbox starts from an already-running Python process inside a real VM, runs the code, and exits. These are real KVM VMs, not containers: separate guest kernel, separate guest…

    Mar 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

  6. 6

    Hi there! I've been on-and-off working on TacOS for a few months, which follows some UNIX-derived concepts (exec/fork, unix-style VFS, etc) and is now able to run a port of Doom, with a fairly small amount of modifications, using my from-scratch libc. The performance is actually decent compared to what I expected. Very interested to hear your thoughts. Thank you!

    2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

  7. 7

    Shuru is a lightweight sandbox that spins up Linux VMs on macOS using Apple's Virtualization.framework. Boots in about a second on Apple Silicon, and everything is ephemeral by default. There's a checkpoint system for when you do want to persist state, and sandboxes run without network access unless you explicitly allow it. Single Rust binary, no dependencies. Built it for sandboxing AI agent code execution, but it works well for anything where you need a disposable Linux environment.

    Feb 2026 · shuru.run · its alternatives →

  8. 8

    A self hosted virtual browser that runs in docker and uses WebRTC. - m1k1o/neko

    2021 · github.com · its alternatives →

  9. 9TP

    I noticed that Fabrice Bellard added x86_64 support to JSLinux, and I decided to do some work getting TempleOS up and running on it. Enjoy the fruits of my labor: TempleOS, running locally in your browser, completely unoptimized, with some convenient tools for debugging and playing around.

    Jan 2026 · ring0.holyc.xyz · its alternatives →

  10. 10

    "interesting" VM in C. Let's see how this goes. Contribute to tekknolagi/carp development by creating an account on GitHub.

    2014 · github.com · its alternatives →

  11. 11

    We just open-sourced Lume - a tool we built after hitting walls with existing virtualization options on Apple Silicon. No GUI, no complex stacks - just a single binary that lets you spin up macOS or Linux VMs via CLI or API. Why we built Lume: - Run native macOS VMs in 1 command, using Apple Virtualization.Framework: `lume run macos-sequoia-vanilla:latest` - Prebuilt images on https://ghcr.io/trycua (macOS, Ubuntu on ARM) - API server to manage VMs programmatically `POST /lume/vms` - A python SDK on github.com/trycua/pylume Run prebuilt macOS images in just…

    2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

  12. 12
    ByteNite▲206

    Hi HN, I’m one of the creators of ByteNite (https://bytenite.com). We built it for developers running compute-heavy containerized workloads (AI, ETL, batch jobs) who are frustrated with the limitations of traditional serverless platforms: timeouts, cold starts, orchestration complexity, and limited runtime control. ByteNite is a serverless platform that lets you submit distributed jobs packaged as Docker containers. You define simple or complex fan-out/fan-in logic, set your hardware requirements, and we handle the rest—distributing execution across warm cloud runners (CPUs,…

    2025 · docs.bytenite.com · its alternatives →

  13. 13

    Userspace macOS translation layer for Linux ARM64. Contribute to wie-project/kakehashi development by creating an account on GitHub.

    Aug 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

  14. 14VM

    2013 · blog.grunseid.com · its alternatives →

  15. 15

    To try it out, simply build the project yourself from source, or use attached bootable ISO image of the system (in Releases on Github) and run it in QEMU. https://blog.vxn.dev/rou2exos-rusted-edition

    2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

  16. 16

    I've been working on this for ~3 months now, with pretty slow progress to be honest. So far I've got an ATA PIO mode hard disk driver, a FAT32 file system, a real time clock driver, and of course the essentials (interrupts, keyboard, pixel graphics). Kernel panics also cause a blue screen of death xD. It uses a bitmap physical memory allocator, and I'm fixing some issues with paging at the moment as a work towards running userspace applications. I'd be interested to see your thoughts on it :D

    2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

  17. 17
    OrbStack▲170

    Fast, light, simple Docker & Linux on macOS

    2023 · orbstack.dev · its alternatives →

  18. 18M4

    Hello. I wrote a multitasking 16-bit real mode "operating system" that works on every IBM PC compatible computer, and a TCP/IP stack for it. Then I wrote an HTTP server for it.

    2022 · 486servu.dy.fi · its alternatives →

  19. 19

    A self-hostable Wasm sandbox for JavaScript workers.

    Jun 2026 · kyushu.dev · its alternatives →

  20. 20

    God's Operating System

    2014 · templeos.org · its alternatives →

  21. 21

    Hi HN! Excited to launch machine0, a CLI that makes it easy to create, provision and snapshot persistent NixOS (& Ubuntu) VMs. You can think of machine0 as a modern VPS provider. VMs stay on unless switched-off (with 99.99% uptime), they have static IPs and HTTPS endpoints, 1-60 vCPU, up to 240GB RAM and optionally GPUs. The CLI provides commands to manage lifecycle, snapshots and also provision the VMs using Nix flakes or Ansible playbooks. VMs are priced by the minute of usage. What makes machine0 unique is that it has first class support for NixOS! In a nutshell, NixOS lets you define…

    Jun 2026 · machine0.io · its alternatives →

  22. 22

    ohai! I've released Lightwhale 3, which is possibly the easiest way to self-host Docker containers. It's a free, immutable Linux system purpose-built to live-boot straight into a working Docker Engine, thereby shortcutting the need for installation, configuration, and maintenance. Its simple design makes it easy to learn, and its low memory footprint should make it especially attractive during these times of RAMageddon. If this has piqued your interest, do check it out, along with its easy-to-follow Getting Started guide. In any event, have a nice day! =)

    Apr 2026 · lightwhale.asklandd.dk · its alternatives →

  23. 23

    A faster, simpler alternative to bulky VM managers.

    Apr 2026 · makeprog.com · its alternatives →

  24. 24

    I've built this to make it easy to host your own infra for lightweight VMs at large scale. Intended for exec of AI-generated code, for CICD runners, or for off-chain AI DApps. Mainly to avoid Docker-in-Docker dangers and mess. Super easy to use with CLI / Python SDK, friendly to AI engs who usually don't like to mess with VM orchestration and networking too much. Defense-in-depth philosophy. Would love to get feedback (and contributors: clear & exciting roadmap!), thx

    Oct 2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

Also compare

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →