# J-x-Z/cocoa-way

Run Linux desktops and apps on macOS with a native Metal Wayland compositor, Apple Container GUI, Waypipe, Docker/OrbStack, and rootless windows.

Repository: https://github.com/J-x-Z/cocoa-way
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/cocoa-way
Language: Rust
License: GPL-3.0
License Family: copyleft
Topics: wayland-compositor, macos, macos-application, macos-tools, rust, wayland, developer-productivity, remote-development, remote-development-container, ssh-tool, linux-apps-on-macos, xquartz-alternative, apple-container, apple-container-gui, apple-silicon, container-gui, linux-gui, metal, rootless
Last push: 2026-08-21T02:35:25+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 80/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:39:23.370411+00:00)
- activity 98, release rhythm 93, longevity 18
- inputs: {"age_days": 263, "days_push": 13, "days_rel": 46, "gap_med": 24, "n_releases_24m": 6}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1014, forks 20 (observed 2026-08-28T04:03:13.847572+00:00)

## What it is
Cocoa-Way is a native macOS Wayland compositor written in Rust that renders Linux desktop applications using Apple's Metal API. It acts as a control plane for running Linux GUI apps locally via Apple Container, Docker, or OrbStack, or remotely over SSH with Waypipe.

## Use cases
- run linux gui apps on macos
- wayland compositor for macos
- xquartz alternative for apple silicon
- run linux desktop in a container on mac
- display remote linux apps on mac via waypipe
- manage docker gui applications from macos
- rootless wayland windows on mac

## When to choose
- you need to run Linux GUI applications on macOS with native performance
- you want a modern XQuartz alternative on Apple Silicon
- you manage Linux app containers (Apple Container, Docker, OrbStack) and want integrated display and lifecycle control
- you need low-latency remote Linux desktop forwarding over SSH

## When to avoid
- you need X11 application support rather than Wayland-native apps
- you run Linux on non-Apple-Silicon Intel Macs or need Windows apps
- you want a full Linux desktop VM experience rather than individual app windows
- you need a cross-platform solution beyond macOS

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: gui, container-runtime, developer-tools, graphics, ssh, cli
- domain: developer-tools, cross-platform, desktop-applications, operating-systems
- platform: rust, cli
- tags: wayland-compositor, metal-renderer, apple-container, orbstack, waypipe, linux-gui-on-macos, xquartz-alternative, rootless-windows, apple-silicon, containers, macos, docker, desktop

## Member repositories
- J-x-Z/cocoa-way (main) score 80

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:13.847572+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T07:11:30.318614+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/J-x-Z/cocoa-way (fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:13.847572+00:00, sha 5fb4b68a0c48)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.