colima

Start with defaults

$ colima start

$ colima start --cpu [4] --memory [8] --disk [100]

$ colima start --runtime containerd

$ colima start --kubernetes

$ colima stop

$ colima delete

$ colima list

$ colima ssh

colima command [options]

colima provides container runtimes on macOS and Linux with minimal setup and resource requirements. It uses Lima (Linux virtual machines) to create an environment for running Docker and containerd, offering a completely free and open-source alternative to Docker Desktop.
On macOS, Colima leverages either QEMU or the native Apple Virtualization framework (VZ) for better performance on Apple Silicon. On Linux, it provides a consistent containerization environment. The tool automatically configures Docker client connectivity, port forwarding, and volume mounts, making the VM layer transparent to users.
Colima supports multiple runtime profiles, allowing separate instances with different configurations for various projects. Kubernetes clusters can be enabled for local development. The tool integrates seamlessly with existing Docker workflows, requiring no changes to docker commands or compose files. Resource allocation (CPU, memory, disk) is configurable and lightweight compared to alternatives.

start

Start Colima VM

Stop Colima VM

Delete Colima instance

Show status

List instances

SSH into VM

Run nerdctl (containerd)

Show version

--cpu n

Number of CPUs

Memory in GB

Disk size in GB

Runtime: docker, containerd

Enable Kubernetes

Architecture: x86_64, aarch64

Virtualization: vz, qemu

Instance profile name

After starting:

$ docker ps
docker run hello-world

Requires macOS 10.15+ or Linux. vz (Apple virtualization) faster on Apple Silicon. Completely free and open source.

docker(1), nerdctl(1), lima(1)