Colima
vmvm-toolopen sourceA macOS container runtime that boots a Docker/containerd host inside a Lima Linux VM, a free Docker Desktop alternative.
Colima wraps Lima to give macOS a container runtime (Docker or containerd) running inside a Linux VM, as a free, open-source alternative to Docker Desktop. The VM is a hardware boundary with its own kernel; the containers inside it share that VM's kernel, as with any macOS container tooling. Simple to start: colima start.
Strengths
- Free Docker Desktop alternative on macOS
- Docker/containerd inside a Lima-managed Linux VM
- Simple one-command startup
Limitations
- macOS only
- Containers inside share the VM's kernel, the VM is the boundary, not each container
- Inherits Lima's file-sharing performance characteristics
Files & editor
desktop-remoteInherits Lima's mounts, Remote-SSH into the VM, or edit inside with vim/nvim.
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.