> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.preloop.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Runner overview > preloop-runner is a Rust drop-in for the official GitHub Actions runner. It registers directly with GitHub or a Preloop control plane. `preloop-runner` is a single binary that replaces the official `actions/runner` on a host. It keeps the same `configure`, `run`, and `remove` workflow as the official `config.sh` and `run.sh`. It registers with a GitHub repository or organization, or with a Preloop control plane, and runs jobs directly on the host. It needs no control plane, no VM runtime, and no background services. ## When to use it Use the standalone runner for self-hosted GitHub runners on Linux or macOS hosts, when you want a small binary and low memory use per runner. Use the [control plane](/control-plane/quickstart) when you want jobs isolated in microVMs, local runs of your workflows against your working tree, or pause-on-failure debugging. | | Standalone runner | Control plane | | - | - | - | | Where jobs run | Directly on the host, as the runner's user | Hardware-isolated microVMs | | What you install | The `preloop-runner` binary, plus `git` | The Preloop engine and a VM runtime | ## What it does * Registers a self-hosted runner with a GitHub repository or organization, or with a Preloop control plane. * Polls for jobs, runs them, streams console output, and reports step status, logs, and results. * Runs `run:` steps, JavaScript actions on Node 20 or 24, composite actions, and Docker actions. Job containers (`container:` and `services:`) run through the `docker` CLI on the host. * Does not update itself. Upgrade by installing a newer binary. * Includes `lint`, which parses a workflow file and expands its jobs without running them. ## Platforms | Platform | Standalone binary | Container image | | - | - | - | | Linux, x86\_64 | Yes | `linux/amd64` | | Linux, arm64 | Yes | `linux/arm64` | | macOS, Apple Silicon | Yes | Not applicable | | macOS, Intel | Yes | Not applicable | | Windows | No | No | The Linux binaries target glibc (`-gnu` builds). Windows is not published. On Windows, run the Linux binary under WSL2. ## How it compares The repository's runner comparison ran both runners against the same Preloop server, executing the same two-step workflow, on an Apple M1 Pro under macOS. Each value is the median of three runs. The official runner was `actions/runner` v2.336.0. | Measure | actions/runner | preloop-runner | | - | - | - | | Install size, as shipped | 434 MB | 11.9 MB, without Node runtimes | | Install size, without Node runtimes | 85 MB | 11.9 MB | | Cold start (`--version`) | 97 ms | 29 ms | | Idle memory (RSS) | 67.2 MB | 9.0 MB | | Peak memory during a job (RSS) | 205.5 MB | 11.1 MB | | Job pickup | 268 ms | 100 ms | The official package bundles Node 20 and Node 24, which accounts for most of its 434 MB. The preloop-runner measurement skipped those runtimes with `--no-externals`, so the second install-size row is the like-for-like comparison. Without them, the official install is about seven times larger. In the repository's light conformance run, 14 workflows produced no differences between the official runner and `preloop-runner`. These measurements come from one machine. Expect different numbers on your hardware. ## Next steps Install the binary, register it, and run it as a service. Every command, flag, and environment variable. How the listener and the per-job worker process jobs. How preloop-runner compares with other local runners. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.