Reinventing Container Linux for the Wasm Era with System Extensions

Explore the evolution of container-optimized Linux and the application of system extensions in this 41-minute conference talk by Andrew Randall from Microsoft. Delve into the history of CoreOS's container-optimized Linux concept and its inspiration from ChromeOS. Learn about the recent developments in Linux distribution building tools, focusing on systemd's introduction of system extensions (sysexts). Discover how sysexts are being utilized to create immutable yet configurable operating systems for various use cases. Examine the Flatcar project's implementation of sysexts to replace torcx, enabling platform-specific images, custom container runtimes, and versions tailored for Wasm-based applications. Gain insights into the multi-vendor UAPI group's concepts and their potential impact on modern Linux distributions, balancing configurability and stability at scale.