Genode is a free and open-source software operating system (OS) framework consisting of a microkernel abstraction layer and a set of user space components.

Genode can be used as a basis for a desktop computer[7][8] or tablet[9] OS or as a virtual machine monitor for guest operating systems.

For this reason the framework has been used as a base system for research in such fields as virtualization,[12] inter-process communication,[13] IP stack isolation,[14][15] monitoring,[16] and software development.

The OS framework is available in source code form and following the 18.02 release a general purpose derivative named Sculpt is provided with on-target binary deployment.

This critique usually asserts that C++ is a poor choice for implementing system libraries and APIs because of the inherent complexity of C++ and the difficulty in analyzing code for correct behavior.

Genode components consume and publish state using structured data serialized in XML, in contrast to the plain text model of Unix derivatives.

[24] Sculpt is a small base system with automatic device detection and configuration, some GUI control interfaces, and frontends to the Genode package manager.