OrbStack

OrbStack is containerization software for the Mac that runs Docker containers, local Kubernetes and Linux machines, built as a Docker Desktop alternative.

OrbStack removes the slow startup, battery drain and heavy virtual machine that container work on a Mac has usually meant. It is a native Swift app with low background CPU, memory and disk use, and it starts in seconds. Orbital Labs, LLC builds it and trades as OrbStack, with no parent company behind it. The app runs only on macOS and is tuned for Apple Silicon. The Docker side runs a Docker engine with the BuildKit backend, so existing Docker commands and Compose files carry over from Docker Desktop. Builds can target several Linux architectures, cache their stages and run x86 images through Rosetta. File sharing uses VirtioFS, with bind mounts, port forwards and host networking supported. Kubernetes adds a lightweight single-node cluster for development, complete with a GUI. Linux machines run full distributions with SSH, cloud-init and isolated machines for untrusted code, and Debug Shell makes a running container easier to debug. It suits Mac developers who are switching from Docker Desktop or Colima and want the same commands with less load on the laptop. Backend and full-stack engineers who keep a Linux machine beside their containers get both in one app. It also fits developers who test Kubernetes workloads locally or run x86 images on Apple Silicon. Individuals use it for personal projects, and companies run it across engineering teams whose developers all work on Macs. Typical work is starting a Compose stack, building one image for Intel and Arm servers, and testing a service on the local cluster. The Docker CLI, buildx and Compose talk to its engine directly, while VS Code edits code inside a Linux machine over SSH with agent forwarding. Containers and machines are reachable under automatic local domain names, and USB devices can be passed through to Linux. Everything in the menu bar app can also be done from the command line, which keeps it usable in scripts and CI. It fits a Mac team that wants containers, Kubernetes and Linux machines managed from one place.