Side by side
runc vs runhcs
Both stand on container engines. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan LinuxSelf-hosted
runc supplies the low-level Linux runtime capabilities behind container software. Its OCI bundle requirement, Linux-only scope, and command-line design make it an infrastructure component rather than a general desktop tool.
Visit runc Free plan Windows
runhcs provides a focused, free runtime for Windows containers through containerd. Its Kubernetes CRI and OCI support fit deployments using those technologies on Windows.
Visit runhcsThe facts
| runc | runhcs | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Linux, Self-hosted | Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Not published | Not published |
| Plans published | None | None |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | github.com | github.com |
| On container engines | #26 of 31 | #30 of 31 |
runc: what it does well
- Free OCI container runtime
- Supports rootless containers with user namespaces
- Offers separate container lifecycle commands
- Seccomp filtering enabled by default
- Apache 2.0 licensed
What to know first
- Linux hosts only
- Requires containers in OCI bundle format
- Not recommended for most direct users
- Does not build images
runhcs: what it does well
- Free plan available
- Supports Windows containers
- Kubernetes CRI support
- OCI image format
- Containerd runtime interface
What to know first
- Windows hosts only
- Focused on Windows containers