multipass

Launch a new Ubuntu instance

$ multipass launch --name [myvm]

$ multipass launch [22.04] --name [myvm]

$ multipass launch --name [myvm] --cpus [2] --memory [4G] --disk [20G]

$ multipass list

$ multipass shell [instance_name]

$ multipass exec [instance_name] -- [command]

$ multipass stop [instance_name]

$ multipass delete [instance_name] && multipass purge

multipass command [options] [arguments]

Multipass is a lightweight VM manager for Ubuntu instances. Developed by Canonical, it provides a fast way to launch Ubuntu virtual machines on Linux, macOS, and Windows, optimized for cloud-style workflows.
Instances boot quickly from cached cloud images. The hypervisor backend varies by platform: QEMU or LXD on Linux, Hyperkit or QEMU on macOS, and Hyper-V on Windows. Instances get DHCP networking with host connectivity out of the box.
Cloud-init support enables automated provisioning. You can pass cloud-init YAML to install packages, configure users, run scripts, and more during first boot - matching cloud deployment workflows locally.
Mount functionality shares host directories with instances, useful for development. File transfers work both directions. Multiple instances can run simultaneously, limited by system resources.
The tool is particularly useful for testing Ubuntu server configurations, developing cloud applications locally, and quick disposable development environments.

launch [image]

Create and start a new instance.

List all instances.

Open shell in instance.

Run command in instance.

Start stopped instance.

Stop running instance.

Restart instance.

Delete instance (recoverable until purge).

Permanently remove deleted instances.

Restore deleted instance.

Show instance details.

Mount host directory in instance.

Unmount directory.

Copy files between host and instance.

List available images.

Instance name.

Number of CPUs.

RAM allocation (e.g., 2G).

Disk size (e.g., 10G).

Cloud-init configuration file.

Ubuntu images only - other distributions not supported. Requires hardware virtualization support. Hypervisor conflicts possible (VirtualBox, Docker Desktop). Default instance resources are modest. Network bridge configuration varies by backend. Some features require specific hypervisor backends.

Multipass was developed by Canonical and released around 2017 to provide a streamlined Ubuntu VM experience across platforms. It grew from the need for quick, consistent Ubuntu environments for development and testing. The project emphasizes simplicity over full virtualization features, targeting developers who need Ubuntu instances without complex VM management.

lxc(1), vagrant(1), docker(1), qemu(1)