# Champollion

Champollion is a user-mode RISC-V (RV64GC) Linux binary translator. A program
runs as an ordinary process on the host: no VM boots and no guest kernel is
involved, and the Linux system calls it makes are served by the translator or
forwarded to the host's.

```console
$ rvrun tests/fixtures/hello
hello from riscv64
```

## Start here

**🚀 Get started**
Build `rvrun` from source and run the committed fixtures.
[Getting started](/start/getting-started/)
**🧠 How translation works**
From ELF loading to decoded-block caches, the JIT, and syscall dispatch.
[Translation](/concepts/translation/)
**🔀 Direct mode and VM mode**
On the Mac itself, or inside an arm64 Linux VM with raw syscall
passthrough. [The two modes](/concepts/modes/)
**📖 CLI reference**
Every flag and environment variable `rvrun` understands.
[CLI reference](/reference/cli/)

## 📌 Status

M5 is done, and VM mode's done criterion is met: riscv64 container images run
on the Mac, and Alpine and Debian roots run `apt`, CPython, and other programs.
[Project status](/project/status/) lists what works, the measured performance,
and the known gaps.