What is Kernel?

A kernel is a piece of an operating system, which is responsible for allotting the resources of the computer to different tasks and applications. The kernel is responsible to determine how much of the available memory is used for different tasks, and what part of the memory can be freed up to initiate another process. For example, the kernel can grant access to programs that want to create new files, or to programs that need to access a certain memory portion.

The kernel allots memory clusters through syscall, a program specially designed for this matter. In fact, kernel is like a gatekeeper which allows (or denies) access to the buffering memory. It is like the middle negotiator between software and resources.

As the majority of operating systems are multitasking, the importance of kernel is huge. Moreover, in the case of public computers, the kernel is responsible of allotting space for different users, considering their privileges and access levels. Performing kernels developed along with some operating systems allow allotting data for multiple users and tasks on a single machine at the same time. In this case, kernel is the gate keeper for applications and users at the same time, switching between those, considering the actions of the users.