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Real-time Systems and Real-time Operating Systems

Resources on real-time systems and RTOS — tutorials, open-source and commercial operating systems, real-time Linux, safety-certified options and analysis tools.

66 topics•10 categories•Updated November 2026

Tutorials, Courses & Articles

8 entries

Reading and learning.

01Real-time computing (Wikipedia)Terminology and history. 02Real-time operating system (RTOS): Components, Types, ExamplesGuru99 introduction. 03Real Time Systems (GeeksforGeeks)Tutorial on real-time systems. 04Real-Time Operating Systems Advantages and DisadvantagesEssay on RTOS trade-offs. 05Real Time vs Batch Processing vs Stream ProcessingBMC comparison of data-processing styles, not of real-time operating systems. 06Real Time Systems, Uppsala UniversityUniversity course. 07Development of Real-Time Systems (Coursera)Online course. 08Rapid implementation of mobile technology for real-time epidemiology (Science)Science article on real-time epidemiology; an application example, not an RTOS source.

Open-Source RTOS

13 entries

Operating systems for microcontrollers and embedded devices.

09FreeRTOSWidely used real-time kernel for microcontrollers. 10FreeRTOS documentationKernel and library documentation. 11FreeRTOS Kernel on GitHubKernel source. 12Zephyr ProjectOpen-source RTOS for connected devices. 13Zephyr on GitHubSource code. 14RTEMSReal-time operating system for embedded and space systems. 15Eclipse ThreadXRTOS formerly Azure RTOS, now at the Eclipse Foundation. 16Eclipse ThreadX on GitHubSource repositories. 17Apache NuttXPOSIX-oriented RTOS scaling from 8-bit to 64-bit. 18RIOTFriendly operating system for the Internet of Things. 19RT-ThreadOpen-source RTOS with a large Chinese developer community. 20eCosConfigurable embedded operating system. 21Mbed OS (end of life announced)Arm has announced an end-of-life timeline for Mbed; check the notice in the README before starting new projects.

Real-Time Linux

4 entries

Real-time behaviour on larger systems.

22Real-time preemption (Linux kernel documentation)How PREEMPT_RT works in the mainline kernel. 23XenomaiReal-time framework for Linux. 24OSADL Realtime LinuxOpen Source Automation Development Lab real-time Linux projects and tests. 25eLinux: Real TimeWiki hub on real-time Linux.

Commercial & Safety-Certified RTOS

7 entries

Check each vendor for the certification evidence you need.

26VxWorksCommercial RTOS from Wind River. 27QNXMicrokernel RTOS from BlackBerry QNX for automotive, medical and industrial systems. 28INTEGRITY RTOS (Green Hills)Safety- and security-critical RTOS. 29SAFERTOSSafety-certified RTOS derived from the FreeRTOS design. 30LynxOS-178DO-178C aimed POSIX RTOS for avionics. 31SEGGER embOSCompact commercial RTOS for microcontrollers. 32seL4 microkernelFormally verified open-source microkernel.

Analysis Tools & Standards

5 entries

Verify timing and follow the specifications.

33Percepio TracealyzerTrace visualisation for RTOS-based systems. 34CheddarOpen-source real-time scheduling analyzer. 35aiT WCET AnalyzersStatic worst-case execution time analysis. 36POSIX (Open Group Base Specifications)Specification that includes real-time extensions. 37AUTOSARAutomotive software architecture standard with an OS specification.

More RTOS & Real-Time Standards

1 entries

Further real-time operating systems and automotive standards.

38Linux PREEMPT_RTReal-time Linux kernel patch set.

Related Pages

13 entries

Neighbouring directories on this site.

39C Programming LanguageC language resources: compilers, GDB and sanitizers, MISRA and CERT C, and embedded libraries such as Newlib and FreeRTOS. 40Real-Time ComputingHub for RTOS, real-time Java, embedded databases and stream analytics. 41Real-time Embedded DBMSDatabases for real-time systems. 42Real-time JavaReal-time Java resources. 43Real-time Data AnalyticsAnalytics on streaming data. 44Edge / Fog ComputingEdge computing hub. 45The Internet of Things (IoT) ParadigmIoT hub. 46Computing ParadigmsDirectory of computing paradigms. 47Distributed ComputingConcepts, frameworks and consensus. 48Edge Computing PlatformsPlatforms for running workloads at the edge. 49Apache Kafka ResourcesDocumentation, managed services and tools for Apache Kafka. 50CPU, GPU, TPU, NPU, LPU, DPU & QPU ExplainedProcessor types and what each is for. 51Aerospace and AviationRegulators, space, avionics, air traffic, eVTOL and MRO.

Real-Time Resource Pages

2 entries

Pages on this site that collect real-time resources.

52Real-time Data Analytics PlatformsStream and event processing: Flink, Spark, Kafka Streams, streaming databases and managed cloud services. 53Real User Monitoring ToolsTools for monitoring real user experience.

Real-Time Operating Systems

2 entries

Operating systems with predictable timing.

54RTAIReal-time application interface for Linux. 55OSADLOpen Source Automation Development Lab, which works on real-time Linux.

Real-Time Java

2 entries

Java with predictable timing.

56aicas JamaicaVMReal-time Java virtual machine. 57PTC PercReal-time Java platform from PTC.

Real-Time Data & Databases

9 entries

Analyse and store data as it arrives.

58Apache FlinkStateful computations over data streams. 59MaterializeStreaming database that keeps SQL results up to date. 60RisingWaveStreaming database and stream processing. 61RedisIn-memory data store for real-time applications. 62QuestDBLow-latency time series database. 63InfluxDBTime series database platform. 64SQLiteEmbedded SQL database engine. 65McObject eXtremeDBEmbedded and in-memory database for real-time systems. 66FairComEmbedded and edge database technology.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a real-time system?

A system whose correctness depends on both the result and the time it is produced; a late answer is a wrong answer.

How do I choose an RTOS?

Choose by timing guarantees (hard or soft), hardware and architecture support, certification needs, licence, tooling and community. FreeRTOS and Zephyr are common open-source starts, while safety-critical products often need a vendor with certification evidence.

Can Linux be real-time?

Yes. With the PREEMPT_RT patches, now part of the mainline kernel, Linux can meet soft and many firm real-time needs, and Xenomai adds a dual-kernel approach. Very strict hard real-time or safety-certified work usually still uses a dedicated RTOS.

Which products are renamed or ending?

Azure RTOS is now Eclipse ThreadX, and Arm has announced an end-of-life timeline for Mbed OS. Both are labelled in their entries.

What is a real-time operating system?

An OS that guarantees tasks meet timing deadlines. FreeRTOS, Zephyr, RTEMS and QNX are common, and PREEMPT_RT adds real-time features to Linux.

What is AUTOSAR?

An automotive software architecture standard for ECUs.

How current is this list?

Links were checked in October 2026. Vendors that block automated checks are kept and may need a manual click; renamed, acquired and end-of-life products are labelled. Certification claims belong to each vendor, so confirm them with the vendor.