Nitro

Tiny init system & process supervisor.

Profile updated 2026-10-16

Console’s review

Aug 28, 2025 · Reviewed by David Mytton

What we like

Easily configure and run processes and services. All state kept in RAM, works on read-only filesystems. Event-driven, polling free. Can run as PID 1 on Linux. Includes a control CLI. Works on FreeBSD and as a container init system. Single binary.

Tradeoffs

Should new system tools be written in C?

Is Nitro a fit?

Based on Console’s review published on 2025-08-28. Summary updated 2026-10-16.

Who it’s for

Developers needing a lightweight init system and process supervisor

Why consider it

Easily configure and run processes and services

Keep in mind

Concerns about the choice of programming language