# abiosoft/colima

Container runtimes on macOS (and Linux) with minimal setup

Repository: https://github.com/abiosoft/colima
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/colima
Homepage: https://colima.run
Language: Go
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: docker, docker-compose, kubernetes, containers, macos, k8s, containerd, containerd-compose, nerdctl, lima, k3s, incus
Last push: 2026-08-24T17:22:38+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 95/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 87, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 1824, "days_push": 9, "days_rel": 90, "gap_med": 11, "n_releases_24m": 12}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 30526, forks 602 (observed 2026-08-28T04:11:54.511549+00:00)

## What it is
Colima is a CLI tool that provides container runtimes (Docker, Containerd, Incus) on macOS and Linux with minimal setup, built on Lima. It supports optional local Kubernetes (k3s), multiple instances, and GPU-accelerated AI workloads on Apple Silicon.

## Use cases
- run docker containers on macos without docker desktop
- start a local kubernetes cluster with one command
- use containerd with nerdctl on mac
- run gpu-accelerated ai workloads on apple silicon
- replace docker desktop with a free open-source alternative
- run multiple isolated container runtime instances
- run incus system containers and vms on macos

## When to choose
- you want Docker on macOS without Docker Desktop licensing
- you need a lightweight local Kubernetes (k3s) for development
- you want GPU-accelerated containers on Apple Silicon
- you prefer a simple CLI with sensible defaults and multiple profiles

## When to avoid
- you need a GUI for container management
- you require production-grade Kubernetes rather than a local dev cluster
- you need Windows container support

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: active
- function: container-runtime, cli, container-orchestration, gpu-computing
- domain: developer-tools, cloud-computing
- platform: cli
- tags: docker-desktop-alternative, lima, containerd, nerdctl, k3s, incus, apple-silicon, docker-compose, containers, devops, macos, linux, docker, kubernetes

## Member repositories
- abiosoft/colima (main) score 95

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:54.511549+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 2026-08-29T16:52:45.145020+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/abiosoft/colima (fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:54.511549+00:00, sha 4a3ae9688682)
  - homepage: https://colima.run (fetched 2026-08-29T07:49:35.831803+00:00, sha 977f8e1dccec)
  - site_page: https://colima.run/docs (fetched 2026-08-29T07:49:35.850188+00:00, sha 2e53baf725f9)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.