Apple container
microvmmicrovm-toolopen sourceApple's first-party tool that runs each OCI container inside its own lightweight VM on Virtualization.framework.
Apple container (announced WWDC 2025, v1.0 June 2026) is the macOS-native per-workload : it runs each OCI container inside its own lightweight VM on Virtualization.framework, with its own guest kernel and Rosetta for amd64 images. It is the Mac counterpart to Firecracker/Kata on Linux, a hardware boundary per container, from a first-party tool. Good networking wants macOS 26 (Tahoe).
Strengths
- First-party per-container microVM, a hardware boundary from the OCI workflow
- Own guest kernel per container; Rosetta runs amd64 images
- Free and native to macOS on Apple Silicon
Limitations
- macOS / Apple Silicon only
- Good networking needs macOS 26 (Tahoe)
- New (v1.0 mid-2026) relative to the Linux microVM ecosystem
Files & editor
desktop-remoteFiles live in the per-container microVM; attach over Remote-SSH or edit inside.
How you get your project into the environment and edit it. Shared-kernel routes bind-mount host files for your desktop editor; own-kernel routes keep files in the guest, so a desktop editor attaches over remote, or you edit inside. Mounts and remote editing.