Building apps for embedded devices has always meant one thing: compile firmware, flash the device, hope nothing breaks. Every update is a full firmware cycle. Every bug fix requires physical access or a risky OTA. Every new feature risks destabilizing the whole system.
There had to be a better way.
What is AkiraOS?AkiraOS is a Zephyr-based embedded OS that runs sandboxed WebAssembly applications on microcontrollers. Instead of baking application logic into firmware, every app is a.wasm module — isolated, portable, and deployable over-the-air without touching the OS.
The OS stays stable. The apps stay updatable. The hardware stays certified.
How It WorksAkiraOS layers four components on top of Zephyr RTOS:
1. WAMR Runtime — executes WASM bytecode with near-native performance. Supports both interpreter mode (1x) and AOT compilation (10–50x).
2. Capability Guard — every app declares its required capabilities in a manifest. At runtime, each native API call goes through an inline capability check (~60ns overhead). No capability granted = no access. Period.
3. Native API Bridge — 18 modules expose hardware to WASM apps: GPIO, Display, BLE, HID, I2C, Sensors, Storage, Network, OTA, Timer, UART, PWM, RF, and more.
4. AkiraSDK — header-only SDK distributed as a git submodule. Build your app with the WASI SDK, compile to.wasm, and it runs on any AkiraOS target without recompiling.
Supported Targets- ESP32-S3 (primary — AkiraConsole hardware)
- nRF5240
- STM32
- native_sim (for development without hardware)
The reference hardware platform for AkiraOS. Rev A.2, finalized 2026-03-12. Engineering samples in production now, CrowdSupply campaign coming soon.
Specs: ESP32-S3 dual-core 240MHz · 8MB PSRAM · TFT display ~33FPS · 8 tactile buttons · Rotary encoder · CC1121 sub-GHz + LoRa · MicroSD · USB-C · Expansion headers
OSHWA Certified — UID: MD000003
v1.4.9 "Gl1tch" — What Shipped125 commits · 350 files · ~40, 600 lines of changes
→ WAMR replaces legacy OCRE runtime → Capability Guard security model → Full WASM Peripheral API suite → AkiraSDK as independent git submodule → AkiraConsole board bringup
Getting Startedbash
# Install WASI SDK
wget https://github.com/WebAssembly/wasi-sdk/releases/download/wasi-sdk-21.0/wasi-sdk-21.0-linux.tar.gz
tar xzf wasi-sdk-21.0-linux.tar.gz && sudo mv wasi-sdk-21.0 /opt/wasi-sdk
# Clone AkiraOS with SDK
git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/ArturR0k3r/AkiraOS
# Build your first app
cd AkiraSDK/wasm_apps/hello_world
../../build_wasm_app.sh -o hello_world.wasm main.c- GitHub: https://github.com/ArturR0k3r/AkiraOS
- Docs: https://docs.akiraos.dev
- AkiraConsole: https://akiraos.dev/akiraconsole
- OSHWA: https://certification.oshwa.org/md000003.html
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