Unikraft CLI Companion Tool

Unikraft's companion command-line tool `kraft` has been modeled after many popular package managers and build tools with the explicit aim of making it easy to build and manage your application as a unikernel.

Before beginning, it is important to familiarize yourself with the concept of a unikernel and how unikernels differ from other runtime mediums, including: containers, standard VMs and OSes (e.g. Linux). At the same time, a general understanding of how a unikernel is constructed with Unikraft will help you understand how to use kraft effectively.

Please let us know if you run into any issues by reaching out through one of the main communication channels or by filing an issue on GitHub. Happy krafting! 🐒

Quick-start example based on `qemu/x86_64`#

Start by using the interactive installer:

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://get.kraftkit.sh | sh

This will install the kraft binary executable onto your host as well as additional dependencies necessary for building and running Unikraft unikernels. The installer detects your OS and suggests an appropriate installation procedure.

For more information on customizing your installation of kraft, please refer to the complete installation guide.

To test your installation, you can try running our pre-built "Hello, World" unikernel on your machine by simply invoking the following command:

kraft run unikraft.org/helloworld:latest

If all goes well, you should be greeted with a message and some helpful tips. If things didn't go well, please check out our troubleshooting guide for more information and for frequently asked questions.

kraft -h

.
   /^\     Build and use highly customized and ultra-lightweight unikernels.
  :[ ]:
  | = |
 /|/=\|\   Documentation:    https://kraftkit.sh/
(_:| |:_)  Issues & support: https://github.com/unikraft/kraftkit/issues
   v v
   ' '

USAGE
  kraft [SUBCOMMAND] [FLAGS]

BUILD COMMANDS
  build          Configure and build Unikraft unikernels
  clean          Remove the build object files of a Unikraft project
  fetch          Fetch a Unikraft unikernel's dependencies
  menu           Open's Unikraft configuration editor TUI
  prepare        Prepare a Unikraft unikernel
  properclean    Completely remove the build artifacts of a Unikraft project

PACKAGING COMMANDS
  pkg            Package and distribute Unikraft unikernels and their dependencies
  pkg ls         List installed Unikraft component packages
  pkg pull       Pull a Unikraft unikernel and/or its dependencies
  pkg push       Push a Unikraft unikernel package to registry
  pkg source     Add Unikraft component manifests
  pkg unsource   Remove Unikraft component manifests
  pkg update     Retrieve new lists of Unikraft components, libraries and packages

RUNTIME COMMANDS
  ps             List running unikernels
  rm             Remove one or more running unikernels
  run            Run a unikernel
  stop           Stop one or more running unikernels

LOCAL NETWORKING COMMANDS
  net create     Create a new machine network
  net down       Bring a network offline
  net inspect    Inspect a machine network
  net ls         List machine networks
  net rm         Remove a network
  net up         Bring a network online

MISCELLANEOUS COMMANDS
  login          Provide authorization details for a remote service
  version        Show kraft version information

FLAGS
      --config-dir string        Path to KraftKit config directory
      --containerd-addr string   Address of containerd daemon socket
      --editor string            Set the text editor to open when prompt to edit a file
      --events-pid-file string   Events process ID used when running multiple unikernels (default "/var/kraftkit/events.pid")
      --git-protocol string      Preferred Git protocol to use (default "https")
  -h, --help                     help for kraft
      --http-unix-sock string    When making HTTP(S) connections, pipe requests via this shared socket
      --log-level string         Log level verbosity (default "info")
      --log-timestamps           Enable log timestamps
      --log-type string          Log type (default "fancy")
      --manifests-dir string     Path to Unikraft manifest cache
      --no-check-updates         Do not check for updates
      --no-emojis                Do not use emojis in any console output
      --no-parallel              Do not run internal tasks in parallel
      --no-prompt                Do not prompt for user interaction
      --pager string             System pager to pipe output to
      --plugins-dir string       Path to KraftKit plugin directory
      --runtime-dir string       Directory for placing runtime files (e.g. pidfiles) (default "/var/kraftkit")
      --sources-dir string       Path to Unikraft component cache
      --with-manifest strings    Paths to package or component manifests (default [https://manifests.kraftkit.sh/index.yaml])
      --with-mirror strings      Paths to mirrors of Unikraft component artifacts

Next steps#

Once installed and running, learn more about:

Unikraft CLI Companion Tool

Unikraft's companion command-line tool kraft has been modeled after many popular package managers and build tools with the explicit aim of making it easy to build and manage your application as a unikernel.

Next steps#

Connect with the community

Unikraft's companion command-line tool `kraft` has been modeled after many popular package managers and build tools with the explicit aim of making it easy to build and manage your application as a unikernel.