General
Q: What is AkiraOS?
A: AkiraOS is an embedded operating system combining Zephyr RTOS with WebAssembly for secure, dynamic application execution on resource-constrained devices.
Q: What platforms are supported?
A: ESP32-S3 (primary), nRF54L15, STM32 (experimental), and native simulation.
Q: Is AkiraOS production-ready?
A: Yes, v1.4.7 is stable for production use on ESP32-S3.
WebAssembly
Q: Can I use existing WASM modules?
A: Only if they don’t rely on WASI or browser APIs. AkiraOS uses custom native APIs.
Q: What languages can I use?
A: Any language that compiles to WASM: C, C++, Rust, AssemblyScript, TinyGo.
Q: What’s the performance overhead?
A: Native call overhead is ~60ns. WASM is 1.5-3x slower than native code.
Development
Q: How do I get started?
A: Follow the Installation Guide.
Q: Can I debug WASM apps?
A: Limited. Use logging and native sim for logic testing.
Q: How do I update firmware?
A: Via OTA over WiFi or USB flashing. See OTA Guide.
Hardware
Q: What’s the minimum RAM required?
A: 256KB, but 512KB+ recommended for multiple apps.
Q: Do I need PSRAM?
A: Highly recommended for running multiple WASM apps (4+MB).
Q: Can I use custom hardware?
A: Yes, if Zephyr supports it. See Porting Guide.
Security
Q: How secure are WASM apps?
A: WASM provides memory isolation. Capabilities provide access control. See Security Model.
Q: Can apps access each other’s data?
A: No, WASM memory is isolated. File system access is restricted per-app.
Q: Is OTA secure?
A: Yes, MCUboot verifies firmware signatures and provides rollback protection.
Troubleshooting
Q: Build fails with “west not found”
A: Install west: pip3 install --user west
Q: Flash fails with “Permission denied”
A: Add user to dialout group: sudo usermod -a -G dialout $USER
Q: WiFi won’t connect
A: Check SSID/password in board config. Ensure 2.4GHz network.
See Troubleshooting Guide for more.
Community
Q: How do I contribute?
A: See CONTRIBUTING.md.
Q: Where can I get help?
A: GitHub Discussions, Issues, or Zephyr Discord.
Q: Is there commercial support?
A: Contact the project maintainers for commercial inquiries.