UniContainer: Unlocking the Potential of Unikernel for Secure and Efficient Containerization
Z.L. Zhang, Qihang Zhou, Shaowen Xu, Nan Jiang, Weijuan Zhang, Xiaoqi Jia · Proceedings of the ACM on Measurement and Analysis of Computing Systems · 2025
Container technology, characterized by its convenience in deployment and exceptional performance, has emerged as a dominant force in the realm of cloud computing. However, the shared kernel among different containers and the common practice of running multiple applications within a single container pose threats to user data from malicious co-resident containers or other malicious programs within the same container. To address this problem, we introduce a novel container architecture design - UniContainer. UniContainer partitions original containers, allowing each component to run within an independent customized Unikernel, thereby enhancing isolation both between containers and within containers. We implement a prototype of UniContainer based on Unikraft, enabling automated analysis of target container system call logs and configuration of optimal Unikraft images, while preserving the convenience of container technology deployment. Through experimental evaluation, we validate the effectiveness and performance of UniContainer, maximizing the outstanding performance benefits of container technology.