Introduction

The seL4® Microkernel is a technology of increasing interest. It delivers specific capabilities and assurances, which make it particularly suitable for applications that demand a trusted execution environment and strong separation of concerns.

The seL4 Microkernel is engineered to deliver both high-assurance and high-performance (The seL4 Microkernel: An Introduction). High-assurance is achieved through comprehensive formal verification. High-performance is achieved through deliberate design and profiling, potentially accepting greater complexity in the formal verification where this achieves higher performance.

The development of the seL4 Microkernel is overseen by the seL4 Foundation, operating as a project under The Linux Foundation. The entirety of the seL4 Microkernel, and its associated components, are made available as Open Source, on Git Hub (seL4 Microkernel and associated components).

In common with all Microkernels, the seL4 Microkernel provides a minimum set of essential features as needed to frame a viable OS (Operating System). There is an expectation that further components will be introduced atop this OS, in developing useful applications (such as drivers, libraries, and services).

As a consequence, developing on top of the seL4 microkernel is currently complex and time-consuming, and the expertise is limited to a small number of individuals and organisations. Thus, this seL4 Developer Kit is created to reduce the barrier to entry for developing on top of seL4 Microkernel. The overall intention is to encourage and support more organisations in adopting seL4 in their projects and products.