zinnia: a modular 64-bit Unix-like kernel written in Rust

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rust kernel operating-system open-source unix-like 64-bit modular

Summary

Zinnia is a modular 64-bit Unix-like kernel written in Rust, designed to boot on UEFI systems and run a modern desktop with Wayland or X11. It implements POSIX APIs and common Linux/BSD extensions.

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Cached at: 06/15/26, 12:47 AM

# zinnia Source: [https://zinnia-os.org/](https://zinnia-os.org/) ![zinnia](https://zinnia-os.org/img/logo.svg)## A modular 64\-bit Unix\-like kernel written in Rust ### about The kernel is written in \(almost\) 100% Rust and attempts to avoid unsafe code where possible\. It implements a big range of POSIX APIs in system calls, but also exposes common extensions found in Linux and BSDs, like epoll and timerfd\. This allows it to run a somewhat modern desktop using Wayland and X11 sessions\. Most drivers are implemented as modules\. These are Rust ELF dylibs which get loaded and linked during boot from an initrd, similar to Linux systems\. Zinnia can boot from any UEFI based system thanks to the Limine bootloader\. I started this project in 2024 to learn more about systems programming, but over time it started gain more and more features\. Today the kernel is able to boot on many real x86\_64 machines\. aarch64 and riscv64 support is planned, but not a priority at the moment\. Fixes are always welcome\! ## links ![](https://github.com/favicon.ico)[zinnia](https://github.com/zinnia-os/zinnia)\- leave a star :D ## screenshots Weston runninng in QEMU ![zinnia qemu with weston](https://zinnia-os.org/img/qemu_weston.webp)XFCE runninng in QEMU ![zinnia qemu with xfce](https://zinnia-os.org/img/qemu_xfce.webp)XFCE runninng on a ThinkPad E14 G7 ![zinnia running on real hardware](https://zinnia-os.org/img/real_hw.webp)

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