# orbstack/orbstack

Fast, light, simple Docker containers & Linux machines

Repository: https://github.com/orbstack/orbstack
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/orbstack
Homepage: https://orbstack.dev
Language: Shell
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: mac, docker, linux, macos, utm, virtual-machine, colima, docker-desktop, lima
Last push: 2025-08-15T13:03:07+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 47/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 37, release rhythm 35, longevity 92
- inputs: {"age_days": 1293, "days_push": 383, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 9241, forks 100 (observed 2026-08-28T04:10:29.027360+00:00)

## What it is
OrbStack is a fast, lightweight macOS application for running Docker containers, Kubernetes, and full Linux virtual machines. It serves as a drop-in replacement for Docker Desktop and a WSL-like Linux environment on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.

## Use cases
- run docker containers on mac without docker desktop
- run linux vms on apple silicon
- replace docker desktop with a faster alternative
- run kubernetes locally on macos
- run x86 docker containers on arm mac with rosetta
- migrate from colima or docker desktop
- ssh into lightweight linux machines for development

## When to choose
- you're on macOS and want a faster, lighter Docker Desktop replacement
- you need both containers and full Linux distro VMs in one app
- battery life, memory usage, and startup time matter to you
- you want automatic container domain names, CLI integration, and SSH support

## When to avoid
- you're on Windows or Linux - OrbStack is macOS only
- you need Docker Desktop enterprise features like registry access restriction or SSO (SAML SSO is enterprise-tier only)
- you require a fully open-source solution - commercial use requires a paid license
- you need Docker Extensions or Scout support

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: container-runtime, container-orchestration, developer-tools, cli
- domain: developer-tools, cross-platform
- platform: cli
- tags: docker-desktop-alternative, linux-vms, wsl-alternative, rosetta-emulation, macos-app, colima-alternative, lima, freemium, virtualization, containers, devops, macos, docker, kubernetes, desktop

## Member repositories
- orbstack/orbstack (main) score 47

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:29.027360+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 2026-08-29T17:23:14.835602+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/orbstack/orbstack (fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:29.027360+00:00, sha dbb4d3509274)
  - homepage: https://orbstack.dev (fetched 2026-08-29T08:23:08.601773+00:00, sha 13d74f4f5d1f)
  - site_page: https://orbstack.dev/docs (fetched 2026-08-29T08:23:08.606262+00:00, sha d35840d14c1e)
  - site_page: https://orbstack.dev/docs/compare/docker-desktop (fetched 2026-08-29T08:23:08.607862+00:00, sha c0d5afa65e3f)
  - site_page: https://orbstack.dev/docs/benchmarks (fetched 2026-08-29T08:23:08.609490+00:00, sha 6bd1be18e58e)
  - site_page: https://orbstack.dev/docs/faq (fetched 2026-08-29T08:23:08.611555+00:00, sha 731725a51f67)
  - site_page: https://orbstack.dev/pricing (fetched 2026-08-29T08:23:08.604483+00:00, sha e6d68a4a04f6)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.