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OrbStack – Docker on macOS Done Right

Use at your own risk. All guides and scripts are provided for educational purposes only. Always review and understand any code before running it — especially with administrative privileges. Test in a safe environment before using in production. Your system, your responsibility.

OrbStack is a fast, lightweight way to run Docker containers and Linux machines on macOS. It is a drop-in replacement for Docker Desktop — same Docker CLI, same compose.yml files — but uses significantly less RAM, starts in seconds, and feels native on Apple Silicon.

Why OrbStack instead of Docker Desktop:

  • Starts in 2 seconds instead of 30+
  • Uses far less RAM and CPU in the background
  • Native Apple Silicon support
  • Built-in Linux machine support (run a full Linux VM alongside containers)
  • Clean, simple menu bar app
  • Free for personal use

Requirements

  • macOS 13 Ventura or later
  • Apple Silicon (M1 or later) or Intel Mac
  • Homebrew installed (recommended)

Step 1 – Install OrbStack

Via Homebrew (recommended):

brew install --cask orbstack

Or download directly from: orbstack.dev

Step 2 – First Launch

Open OrbStack from your Applications folder or Spotlight. On first launch it will:

  1. Ask for permission to install its helper
  2. Set up the Docker socket automatically
  3. Appear as a menu bar icon

That’s it — Docker is now available in your terminal.

Step 3 – Verify Docker Works 

docker --version
docker compose version
docker run hello-world

Everything works exactly the same as Docker Desktop. Your existing compose.yml files, images, and workflows need no changes.

Running Linux Machines

OrbStack includes a built-in Linux machine feature — lightweight VMs that start in seconds:

# Create and start an Ubuntu machine
orb create ubuntu my-ubuntu

# SSH into it
orb shell my-ubuntu

# List all machines
orb list

This is useful for testing Linux configurations without spinning up a full Proxmox VM.

OrbStack CLI

OrbStack comes with the orb CLI tool:

Command What it does
orb list List all Linux machines
orb create ubuntu name Create a new Ubuntu machine
orb shell name SSH into a machine
orb start name Start a machine
orb stop name Stop a machine
orb delete name Delete a machine
orb info Show OrbStack system info

Docker Compose Works as Normal

Your existing Docker Compose workflows work without any changes:

cd ~/docker/nginx
docker compose up -d
docker compose logs -f
docker compose down

OrbStack handles everything in the background — no configuration needed.

Menu Bar Controls

The OrbStack menu bar icon gives you quick access to:

  • Start/stop the OrbStack engine
  • See running containers and machines
  • Open the OrbStack dashboard (web UI for containers)
  • View resource usage

Migrating from Docker Desktop

If you were previously using Docker Desktop:

  1. Quit Docker Desktop
  2. Install OrbStack
  3. Open OrbStack — it automatically imports your existing containers and images
  4. Uninstall Docker Desktop if you no longer need it
# Uninstall Docker Desktop via Homebrew if installed that way
brew uninstall --cask docker

Pricing

OrbStack is free for personal use. A paid license is required for commercial use. For home labs and personal projects — completely free.

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