As cloud infrastructure continues to evolve, so do the technologies that power it.

Virtual machines (VMs), which are the de facto standard for cloud-based computing, are increasingly being challenged by newer approaches, including containerization and unikernels. While containers have gained significant traction, unikernels have not had their moment.

The technology is promising but struggles to find prominence. The unikernel architecture is a more radical departure from traditional virtualization. It promises benefits such as improved performance, security, and resource efficiency.

This talk will delve into the concept of unikernels, exploring their architecture, advantages, and limitations. We will discuss how unikernels differ from both VMs and containers, focusing on their ability to leverage specialized hardware and operating system kernels tailored to specific applications. The talk will also include a taxonomy of adjacent approaches such as Firecracker VMs from AWS and Hyperlight from Microsoft.

We will also explore the active research being conducted in the unikernel space, including Red Hat's Unikernel Linux (UKL) project. UKL aims to leverage the flexibility and maturity of the Linux kernel to create a unikernel environment, promising to further enhance performance, security, and resource efficiency.

Finally, we will critically assess the challenges and obstacles that may hinder the widespread adoption of unikernels. These challenges include the complexity of development, the need for specialized tooling, and the potential limitations in terms of flexibility and portability. Ultimately, this talk aims to provide a comprehensive overview of unikernels, enabling attendees to make informed judgments about their future role in the evolving cloud computing ecosystem.