Introduction
NQRust-MicroVM is a self-hosted platform for running and managing lightweight virtual machines, Docker containers, and serverless functions on your own Linux hardware — with a full web dashboard, REST API, browser-based terminal, and real-time metrics.
VMs boot in under 125 ms with as little as 5 MB overhead each. The platform runs entirely on your infrastructure — no cloud dependency, no vendor lock-in.
What You Can Run
Virtual Machines
Spin up isolated Linux VMs instantly. Each VM gets its own kernel, root filesystem, CPU and memory limits, network interface, and storage volumes. Access them through the built-in web terminal. Capture state with snapshots. Save reusable configurations as templates.
Containers
Deploy Docker containers that run inside VMs — combining the familiar Docker workflow with hardware-level kernel isolation underneath. Eliminates container escape risks entirely.
Serverless Functions
Write and deploy Node.js, Python, or Ruby functions that execute on demand inside isolated VMs. Ideal for webhooks, automation, and event-driven tasks — without managing full servers.
Platform Components
NQRust-MicroVM is three Rust services and a Next.js 15 frontend, orchestrated by the nqr-installer.
| Component | Role |
|---|---|
| Manager | Central API server — VM lifecycle, image registry, networking, storage, users, RBAC. Built on Axum + PostgreSQL. |
| Agent | Runs on each KVM host with root privileges. Translates Manager instructions into hypervisor operations. Multiple agents supported. |
| Guest Agent | Tiny static binary auto-deployed inside each VM. Reports CPU, memory, uptime, and IP address — no manual setup. |
| Web UI | Next.js 15 / React 19 dashboard served from the Manager host. Full xterm.js terminal, real-time metric graphs. |
Architecture
graph TD
Browser([🌐 Browser])
subgraph Platform["NQRust-MicroVM Platform"]
UI["Web UI\nNext.js 15"]
Manager["Manager API\nRust · Axum"]
DB[("PostgreSQL")]
subgraph Host1["KVM Host"]
Agent1["Host Agent\nRust"]
VM1["microVM"]
VM2["microVM"]
GA1["Guest Agent"]
GA2["Guest Agent"]
end
end
Browser -->|"HTTPS / WebSocket"| UI
UI -->|"REST API"| Manager
Manager -->|"SQL"| DB
Manager -->|"REST"| Agent1
Agent1 -->|"Unix socket"| VM1
Agent1 -->|"Unix socket"| VM2
VM1 --- GA1
VM2 --- GA2
GA1 -->|"metrics · IP"| Manager
GA2 -->|"metrics · IP"| Manager
Key Features
Web Dashboard — Manage VMs, containers, and functions entirely from the browser. No CLI required for day-to-day operations.
REST API + Swagger — Every action is API-accessible. Interactive Swagger UI available at /swagger-ui/ on your Manager host.
Real-time Terminal & Metrics — Browser-based xterm.js shell into any running VM. Live CPU and memory graphs over WebSocket.
Flexible Networking — NAT, Isolated, Bridged, and VXLAN overlay networks provisioned automatically. Multi-host VXLAN lets VMs on different physical machines communicate transparently.
RBAC — Three roles: Admin (full access), User (own resources), and Viewer (read-only). Multi-user safe.
Network Types
| Type | Description | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| NAT | Private subnet, internet via host NAT | Most workloads |
| Isolated | Private subnet, no external access | Air-gapped / internal services |
| Bridged | VMs appear directly on your LAN | Direct network access |
| VXLAN | Multi-host overlay tunnel | VMs across multiple physical hosts |
What’s Next?
New here? Head straight to the Installation Guide — the TUI installer gets you running in under 15 minutes.
- Table of Contents — Full index of all documentation sections
- Installation — Online and airgapped installer walkthrough
- Quick Start — Create your first VM after installation
- REST API — Interactive API reference