Repolode
Submit
apple

apple/container

A command-line tool from Apple for running Linux containers as lightweight virtual machines on Apple silicon Macs.

Open-source alternative to:Docker Desktop

View on GitHubWebsite
Stars
50,805
Forks
1,835
Open issues
581
Last commit
3 days ago

What is it?

container is a command-line tool for creating and running Linux containers on a Mac. Each container runs as a lightweight virtual machine, and the tool is written in Swift and optimized for Apple silicon.

It works with OCI-compatible container images, so images can be pulled from and pushed to any standard container registry, and the images it builds can run in other OCI-compatible runtimes. It relies on the Containerization Swift package for low-level container, image, and process management.

The project requires an Apple silicon Mac running macOS 26. It is distributed as a signed installer package, with scripts for upgrading, downgrading and uninstalling, and it includes a guided tutorial for building and publishing a web server image.

Key features

  • 01Runs Linux containers as lightweight virtual machines on macOS
  • 02Optimized for Apple silicon
  • 03Pulls and pushes OCI-compatible images from standard registries
  • 04Built on the Containerization Swift package
  • 05Includes install, upgrade and uninstall scripts

Use cases

  • Running Linux container images locally on a Mac during development
  • Building an image and publishing it to a container registry from macOS
  • Testing Linux-based software in isolated VMs on Apple silicon

Quick start

  1. 1

    Start the system service

    container system start
  2. 2

    Run your first container

    container run --rm alpine echo hello

Things to know

  • Requires a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 26; older macOS versions are not supported.
  • Features marked experimental, such as the k8s subcommand, may change without backward compatibility.

Topics

#containers#virtualization#macos#apple-silicon#oci#swift#linux

FAQ

What is container?
A command-line tool from Apple for running Linux containers as lightweight virtual machines on Apple silicon Macs. container is a command-line tool for creating and running Linux containers on a Mac. Each container runs as a lightweight virtual machine, and the tool is written in Swift and optimized for Apple silicon.
Is container free to use? What license does it have?
container is open source under the Apache-2.0 license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is container still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to container was on Oct 17, 2026.
What can I use container for?
Running Linux container images locally on a Mac during development Building an image and publishing it to a container registry from macOS Testing Linux-based software in isolated VMs on Apple silicon
How do I install container?
Start the system service: container system start Run your first container: container run --rm alpine echo hello
Where can I get container?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/apple/container

Summary generated by AI from the project's README. GitHub stats refresh daily.

Related projects