crun
also: container runtime, OCI runtime
A lightweight, fast container runtime written in C that runs OCI (Open Container Initiative) compliant containers. It is a minimal alternative to runc that focuses on performance and low resource consumption.
crun is a container runtime that executes containers according to the OCI runtime specification. It is written in C (unlike runc which is written in Go) and prioritizes speed and efficiency, making it suitable for resource-constrained environments and high-density container deployments.
crun implements the same interface as runc, so it can be used as a drop-in replacement in container engines like Podman and Docker. You can specify crun as the runtime in your container configuration or engine settings.
Example: podman run --runtime=crun myimage:latest tells Podman to launch the container using crun instead of the default runc runtime.
crun also supports advanced features like rootless containers, cgroups v2, and SELinux integration, making it popular in modern container orchestration platforms and edge computing scenarios where minimal overhead is critical.