orbstack/orbstack

Features

• macOS Docker Container Managers - Provides a native macOS GUI and CLI for running Docker containers with Compose, networking, and file sharing.
• File Sync And Sharing - Maps files between macOS and Linux at predictable paths so both systems can read and write the same data.
• Container and VM CLI Management Tools - Run orb and orbctl commands alongside bundled Docker CLI tools to manage Linux machines and containers.
• Host-Guest CLI and File System Integrations - Access command-line tools and share files between macOS and running containers or virtual machines.
• Container Bridge Networks - Connects containers and machines on bridge networks with NAT, custom DNS, and host networking for direct IP communication.
• Container and Kubernetes GUIs - Provides a native macOS GUI for managing containers, volumes, and images with near feature parity to Docker Desktop.
• Multi-Architecture Container Runtimes - Runs containers for 32-bit and 64-bit ARM and Intel architectures on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
• macOS Container Network Integrations - Integrates container networking with macOS via automatic domain names, localhost forwarding, and VPN support.
• Docker-Compatible CLI Tools - Use the latest Docker CLI tools, including Compose and buildx, kept up to date automatically.
• Docker Compose Deployments - Runs complex Docker Compose applications using less energy than other container runtimes.
• Docker Container Execution - Provides a built-in Docker engine that runs containers with full networking, volume, and port forwarding support.
• macOS Docker Desktop Replacements - Replaces Docker Desktop with a native macOS app and CLI for managing containers and Linux VMs.
• Linux Virtual Machine Creators - Creates full Linux virtual machines with a choice of distros in under a minute via GUI or CLI.
• Local Kubernetes Clusters - Starts a lightweight single-node Kubernetes cluster optimized for development, managed via GUI and CLI.
• Virtual Machine Managers - Creates and manages full Linux virtual machines on macOS with SSH, file sharing, and USB passthrough.
• Container Port Mapping - Maps container ports to the macOS host so services are accessible on localhost or specific network interfaces.
• Automatic Domain Name Resolutions - Assigns predictable local domain names to containers and VMs with automatic HTTPS certificate generation.
• Container Domain Name Assignments - Assigns custom domain names to containers and Linux machines with automatic HTTPS and wildcard support.
• Container Domain Name Resolutions - Resolves each container to a predictable domain name like container-name.orb.local, eliminating the need to remember port numbers.
• Container Bind Mounts - Shares files bidirectionally between macOS and containers using bind mounts, volumes, and direct filesystem access.
• Host-to-Guest - Shares files bidirectionally between macOS and Linux machines using VirtioFS with dynamic caching.
• Container Traffic Forwarders - Routes container and VM traffic through HTTP(S) and SOCKS proxies with VPN compatibility and macOS DNS integration.
• Host-to-Guest File Sharing - Shares files quickly in both directions between macOS and Linux containers or machines using VirtioFS with dynamic caching.
• Service Port Forwarding - Forwards container and machine ports to macOS localhost instantly via event-based port forwarding.
• Container Traffic Proxies - Routes container traffic through HTTP(S) and SOCKS proxies with VPN compatibility and macOS DNS integration.
• Linux Distribution Container Execution - Starts Docker containers and full Linux distributions in seconds with minimal overhead.
• Guest Host Filesystem Sharing - Shares files bidirectionally between macOS and containers or Linux machines without manual configuration.
• Dynamic Resource Allocators - Allocates CPU, memory, and disk on demand, returning unused resources to the host OS to keep overhead minimal.
• Container Volume Bindings - Shares macOS files with containers via bind mounts and provides persistent volumes accessible from both sides.
• VirtioFS Shared Directories - Shares files between macOS and Linux using VirtioFS with dynamic caching for fast bidirectional access.
• Apple Rosetta Translation - Emulates Intel architecture on Apple Silicon using Rosetta for near-native x86 container and VM performance.
• Hardware-Accelerated Hypervisors - Runs Linux VMs directly on the macOS hypervisor framework for near-native performance with minimal overhead.
• Linux Provisioning - Creates and destroys full Linux machines in under a minute, supporting multiple init systems and distros.
• Lightweight Linux Virtual Machines - Spins up dozens of virtual machines with negligible additional CPU overhead beyond the base system.
• x86-on-ARM64 Emulation - Emulates Intel architecture on Apple Silicon using Rosetta for near-native x86 container performance.
• VM-Backed Container Runtimes - Runs Docker containers inside a lightweight VM, sharing resources with Linux machines to minimize overhead.
• Graphical User Interfaces - Ships a native macOS GUI for managing containers, machines, and Kubernetes resources.
• BuildKit-Based Builds - Use the modern BuildKit backend to build images faster by running stages in parallel.
• Build Result Caches - Stores intermediate build results to speed up future builds and automatically removes unused cache.
• Docker Image Builds - Builds multi-platform Docker images faster than competing tools by optimizing the build pipeline.
• Container Checkpointing - Save and restore running container state using CRIU with Docker's experimental mode enabled by default.
• Checkpoint-Based Container Restoration - Saves and restores running container state using checkpoint/restore in userspace for seamless state preservation.
• Container Restoration - Checkpoints and restores running containers using CRIU to preserve their state for later use.
• Multi-Platform Builds - Build container images for different CPU architectures in parallel using a single command.
• Custom Domain Mappings - Maps user-specified domain names to containers via labels, including wildcard support for subdomain routing.
• Kubernetes Cluster Management - Start, stop, restart, and delete a Kubernetes cluster using simple command-line commands.
• Local Image Pod Loaders - Makes locally built images immediately available to Kubernetes pods without pushing to a registry.
• Host-Guest File Sharing Platforms - Shares files between macOS and containers or Linux VMs using VirtioFS and automatic mount points.
• Virtual Machine Resource Limiters - Restricts machine memory, CPU, and disk usage at creation or later via app or configuration commands.
• Unified Bridge Networks - Connects containers and VMs on a single bridge network with NAT, custom DNS, and host networking support.
• Container-to-Host Service Access - Reaches services running on the Mac from a container via localhost, removing the need for host.docker.internal.
• Container IP Assignments - Connects to containers from macOS using their assigned IP addresses without setting up port forwards.
• VPN-Routed Container Traffic - Passes container network traffic through the system VPN without extra configuration.
• Event-Driven Port Forwardings - Forwards container and VM ports to macOS instantly using event-driven updates instead of polling.
• Kubernetes Service Domain Resolutions - Resolves standard Kubernetes cluster domains and exposes LoadBalancer or Ingress services under a dedicated domain.
• Kubernetes Service Direct Accessors - Reaches all Kubernetes service types from the host without port forwarding.
• System Proxy Forwarders - Forwards container traffic through the macOS proxy automatically, supporting HTTP, HTTPS, and SOCKS proxies.
• Multiplexed SSH Gateways - Uses a single built-in SSH server that multiplexes access to all running Linux machines without per-machine SSH setup.
• Rosetta x86 Emulations - Executes Intel-architecture programs on Apple Silicon Macs using Rosetta for near-native performance.
• Linux Sandboxes - Runs Linux machines without macOS integration to provide a sandboxed environment for untrusted code.
• Multi-Architecture Emulations - Runs programs built for 32/64-bit ARM and Intel architectures on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
• Code Sandboxing Environments - Creates isolated Linux environments with USB passthrough to safely execute untrusted code.
• Host-to-Container Credential Forwarding - Forwards the Mac's SSH agent into containers for secure key-based authentication, such as for Git operations.
• SSH Agent Integrations - Forwards the host's SSH agent into Linux machines automatically so Git and SSH connections work without extra setup.
• Automatic Container HTTPS - Generates and installs TLS certificates automatically for all container domains, enabling secure connections without manual setup.
• Container Domain HTTPS - Generates and installs TLS certificates automatically for container domains, enabling secure HTTPS without manual setup.
• Secure SSH Access - Connects to a running Linux machine over SSH using a simple alias, with agent forwarding enabled.
• Container-to-Host Service Connections - Uses a special domain that lets containers reach servers running on the macOS host.
• Menu Bar Utilities - View, start, stop, and explore containers, volumes, and images through a native macOS menu bar interface.
• Container and VM Menu Bar Managers - Ships a native macOS menu bar interface for managing containers, Kubernetes clusters, and Linux distros.
• Host Network Mode Containers - Shares the host's network stack with a container so all ports are automatically exposed on localhost.
• Resource Usage Limiters - Sets configurable caps on CPU and memory consumption to prevent a single workload from starving other processes.
• Custom Domain Hosting - Maps user-defined domain names and wildcards to containers via Docker labels, mirroring production host layouts.
• Docker Context Switchers - Enables running OrbStack alongside Docker Desktop or Colima by switching Docker contexts per command.

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