# canonical/multipass

Multipass orchestrates virtual Ubuntu instances

Repository: https://github.com/canonical/multipass
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/multipass
Homepage: https://canonical.com/multipass
Language: C++
License: GPL-3.0
License Family: copyleft
Topics: macos, windows, linux, cloud, virtual-machine, virtualbox, hyper-v, qemu, qemu-kvm, container, virtualization, virtualization-framework
Last push: 2026-08-26T18:42:25+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 90/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 74, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3185, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": 99, "gap_med": 66.0, "n_releases_24m": 7}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 9219, forks 825 (observed 2026-08-28T04:10:28.940256+00:00)

## What it is
Multipass is a lightweight VM manager from Canonical that orchestrates Ubuntu virtual machines on Linux, Windows, and macOS using native hypervisors (KVM, Hyper-V, QEMU, or VirtualBox). It lets developers launch fresh, cloud-init-configured Ubuntu instances with a single command, simulating a small cloud deployment locally.

## Use cases
- spin up an Ubuntu VM with a single command
- simulate cloud deployments locally with cloud-init
- test software on different Ubuntu releases
- run MicroK8s or other services in a disposable VM
- get a clean Linux development environment on Windows or macOS
- prototype cloud instance configuration before deploying to AWS or Azure

## When to choose
- you need quick, disposable Ubuntu environments on any workstation
- you want cloud-init-based provisioning like a public cloud
- you want minimal-overhead VMs using native hypervisors
- you want automatic Ubuntu image fetching and updates

## When to avoid
- you need to run non-Ubuntu guest operating systems
- you need full-featured VM management like snapshots, complex networking, or GUI guests
- you want container-style lightweight isolation rather than full VMs

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: active
- function: cli, deployment, developer-tools, configuration-management
- domain: developer-tools, cloud-computing, self-hosted
- platform: windows, cli
- tags: virtualization, ubuntu, vm-manager, cloud-init, qemu, hyper-v, kvm, virtualbox, devops, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- canonical/multipass (main) score 90

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:28.940256+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 2026-08-29T17:23:17.023090+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/canonical/multipass (fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:28.940256+00:00, sha b03031b9f9a5)
  - homepage: https://canonical.com/multipass (fetched 2026-08-29T08:23:15.406908+00:00, sha 32ef341693d4)
  - site_page: https://canonical.com/maas/docs (fetched 2026-08-29T08:23:15.459686+00:00, sha bc7664ac6338)
  - site_page: https://canonical.com/microstack/docs/single-node (fetched 2026-08-29T08:23:15.502979+00:00, sha e132e9b2be0a)
  - site_page: https://canonical.com/microk8s/docs/getting-started (fetched 2026-08-29T08:23:15.555157+00:00, sha 4cb1ea6f65e4)
  - site_page: https://canonical.com/juju/docs (fetched 2026-08-29T08:23:15.565977+00:00, sha 657a866a1942)
  - site_page: https://canonical.com/multipass/install (fetched 2026-08-29T08:23:15.571334+00:00, sha 8e69931d151a)
  - site_page: https://canonical.com/blog/canonical-releases-ubuntu-26-04-lts-resolute-raccoon (fetched 2026-08-29T08:23:15.568922+00:00, sha 61fee91e61d0)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.