Servo: A new web engine written in Rust

Manuel Rego (he/him) rego@igalia.com

• Manuel Rego
• Igalia Web Platform Team
• Web engines hacker�(Chromium & WebKit)
• CSS WG since 2017
• Servo TSC chair since 2023

• Open Source Consultancy
• 170 people, fully remote
• Flat structure (cooperative-like model)
• Top contributors to Chromium, WebKit, Gecko and Servo

ABOUT ME

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WHAT’S SERVO? ❓

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• Browser: graphical chrome, application�(URL bar, tabs, bookmarks, history, etc.) 🖼️
• Rendering Engine: convert HTML + other resources�into a visual representation ⚙️

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Servo is a web rendering engine written in Rust

Servo can be used to develop a browser

Web Browser vs Web Rendering Engine 🛠️

• Browser: graphical chrome, application�(URL bar, tabs, bookmarks, history, etc.) 🖼️
• Rendering Engine: convert HTML + other resources�into a visual representation ⚙️

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Servo is a web rendering engine written in Rust

Servo can be used to develop a browser

Web Browser vs Web Rendering Engine 🛠️

• Browser: graphical chrome, application�(URL bar, tabs, bookmarks, history, etc.) 🖼️
• Rendering Engine: convert HTML + other resources�into a visual representation ⚙️

​

Servo is a web rendering engine written in Rust

Servo can be used to develop a browser

Web Browser vs Web Rendering Engine 🛠️

• Browser: graphical chrome, application�(URL bar, tabs, bookmarks, history, etc.) 🖼️
• Rendering Engine: convert HTML + other resources�into a visual representation ⚙️

​

Servo is a web rendering engine written in Rust

Servo can be used to develop a browser

Web Browser vs Web Rendering Engine 🛠️

See it in action! 🎬

IS IT REALLY A “NEW” WEB ENGINE? 🆕

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• Started by Mozilla in 2012 (together with Rust)
• Transferred to Linux Foundation after layoffs in 2020
• New layout engine started in 2020
• Igalia took over project maintenance in 2023
• Joined Linux Foundation Europe in 2023

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Renewed project community

Servo’s history 📜

Commits stats 📊

PRs stats (no bots) 📈

WPT pass-rates ✅

2023

2025

New layout engine 🌱

WHAT MAKES SERVO SPECIAL? 💎

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• Memory safety: Fewer vulnerabilities (see external audit)
• Concurrency: Faster & more energy-efficient

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Only web engine written in Rust (vs C++)

Using parallelism all over the place (style, layout, etc.)

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This makes Servo unique 🐦‍🔥

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Rust 🦀

• Servo is hosted at Linux Foundation Europe
• Managed openly by the TSC
• Other engines are controlled by big corporations
• Single source of funding: Google search deals & ads

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Independent 🦋

• Embeddable: webview API (see made with Servo)
• Modular: crates
• Cross-platform:
• Desktop: Linux, MacOS, Windows
• Mobile: Android, OpenHarmony

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Other features 🧩

WHAT’S THE PROJECT VISION? 🎯

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• Transitioning from a R&D project�to a production-ready web rendering engine
• Recent developments:
• Incremental layout
• WebDriver support
• SVG support
• DevTools improvements

What are we doing today? 📌

• TSC limits: Formalize Servo's status�as an independent and consensus-driven project
• Levels of collaboration:�contributors, maintainers, TSC members, administrators

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See: https://github.com/servo/project/tree/main/governance#readme

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Organizational updates 🤝

• Editability and interactivity enhancements
• CSS Grid Layout support
• Improving embedding API
• Initial accessibility support
• More performance improvements

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See: https://github.com/servo/servo/wiki/Roadmap

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Plans 💡

• Leading embeddable web rendering engine ecosystem
• Powering innovative applications and frameworks
• Offering unparalleled performance, stability and modern web standards compliance

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🌕 Moonshot goal: Web Browser based on Servo

Long-term vision 🔭

HOW CAN YOU HELP? 🛟

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• GitHub: github.com/servo
• Chat: servo.zulipchat.com
• Email: join@servo.org

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Looking into growing�a healthy ecosystem around the project 🌐

Join the project 🔗

• Download: https://servo.org/download/
• Issues: https://github.com/servo/servo/issues
• Discussions: https://github.com/servo/servo/discussions

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Play with Servo�and let us know your experience

Test Servo and report issues 🧪

• 🌐 https://servo.org
• https://floss.social/@servo
• https://bsky.app/profile/servo.org
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/servo-project/

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Weekly updates, monthly blog posts, and more!

Follow us & spread the word 📢

• Hosting costs: self-hosted runners
• Outreachy internships: DevTools, CI, dialogs
• Improve contribution experience:�funding time from Josh Matthews

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GitHub Sponsors & Open Collective

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Sponsor the project 💰

Thank You