Source URL: https://opensource.microsoft.com/blog/2024/11/07/introducing-hyperlight-virtual-machine-based-security-for-functions-at-scale/
Source: Hacker News
Title: Hyperlight: Virtual machine-based security for functions at scale
Feedly Summary: Comments
AI Summary and Description: Yes
**Summary:**
The text discusses the launch of Hyperlight, a new open-source Rust library by Microsoft’s Azure Core Upstream team. Hyperlight enables the execution of small, embedded functions in a secure and efficient manner through hypervisor-based protection. Its innovative architecture allows for ultra-fast virtual machine (VM) start-up times—ranging from 1 to 2 milliseconds—significantly enhancing performance while maintaining a high level of security. This development not only addresses the cold start challenges prevalent in serverless architecture but also opens new avenues for secure cloud-native applications.
**Detailed Description:**
The announcement highlights key aspects of the Hyperlight project, emphasizing its significance in the realm of cloud computing and security by addressing the two critical aspects of speed and isolation. Below are the major points outlined in the text:
– **Introduction to Hyperlight**:
– Hyperlight is an open-source library designed to execute functions securely within micro-VMs.
– It utilizes hypervisor-based protection, allowing for the isolation of untrusted code.
– **Motivation for Hyperlight**:
– Achieving fast performance while ensuring robust security is a complex and challenging task for cloud services.
– Traditional VMs, while secure through hypervisors like Hyper-V or KVM, are often slower due to higher cold start times and less efficient resource usage.
– **Key Features of Hyperlight**:
– Hyperlight can create new micro-VMs in just 1 to 2 milliseconds.
– It allows for scaling to zero, reducing costs associated with idle VMs.
– Hyperlight offers additional protection against potential sandbox escapes, making it more secure despite being slower than native functions or directly sandboxed runtimes.
– **Technical Architecture**:
– Hyperlight simplifies the VM creation process by circumventing the need for a full virtual environment—only a linear memory slice and a virtual CPU are used.
– The VM guests run a specialized kernel combined with an application runtime, which is deemed faster and more efficient.
– **Usability in Development**:
– Developers can embed serverless functions securely into applications, suitable for IoT, industrial automation, and high-throughput services.
– Code examples demonstrate the ease of utilizing Hyperlight within the Rust programming environment.
– **Future Directions**:
– Hyperlight is intended to be submitted to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) as a sandbox project, promoting best practices and governance.
– Microsoft aims to enhance collaboration and innovation within the tech community, guiding the trajectory of Hyperlight through community involvement.
– **Call to Action**:
– Developers and IT professionals are encouraged to contribute to the Hyperlight project, available under the Apache 2.0 license.
This announcement significantly contributes to the landscape of cloud computing, providing tools for scalable, secure, and efficient serverless applications, thereby furthering compliance and security standards in the cloud-native ecosystem.