---
name: apple-container
description: "Build, run, and manage OCI/Linux containers as lightweight per-container VMs on Apple-silicon macOS using Apple's open-source container CLI, no Docker daemon required."
category: devops
risk: critical
source: https://github.com/sanjay3290/ai-skills/tree/main/skills/apple-container
source_repo: sanjay3290/ai-skills
source_type: community
date_added: "2026-07-09"
author: sanjay3290
tags: [macos, containers, oci, apple-silicon]
tools: [claude, cursor, gemini]
license: "Apache-2.0"
license_source: "https://github.com/sanjay3290/ai-skills/blob/main/LICENSE"
---

# Apple `container`

## When to Use

- Use when building, running, or managing OCI/Linux containers on Apple-silicon macOS with Apple's open-source `container` CLI
- Use when you want lightweight per-container VMs instead of a Docker daemon
- Use when translating Docker-style workflows (build, run, exec, logs, networking) to Apple's container tooling

Apple's `container` is an open-source CLI for building, running, and managing OCI/Linux
containers on Apple-silicon Macs. Each container runs inside its own lightweight virtual
machine (backed by the Containerization framework and the Virtualization API), so there is no
shared daemon like Docker — services run per-user via `launchd`. Images are standard OCI
artifacts, so they interoperate with Docker registries and other OCI tooling. The CLI is
deliberately Docker-like (`container run`, `container build`, and image ops under
`container image push`/`pull`), but it is a distinct tool: do not assume Docker command paths,
flags, defaults, or daemon behavior carry over (e.g. there is no `container images`/`push`/`pull`
top-level command — image verbs live under `container image`).

## Safety Gate

Container installation, service startup, image pulls, builds, runs, registry login, pushes,
and resource cleanup change local or remote state. Explain the exact command, image registry,
mounts, ports, privileges, and data-persistence impact, then obtain explicit user approval
before executing it. Do not provide registry credentials, mount sensitive paths, or expose
ports without the user's explicit instruction.

## Requirements

- **Apple silicon only** (M1 or later). Intel Macs are not supported.
- **macOS 26 (Tahoe) is the officially supported target.** The maintainers do not support
  older macOS and typically will not fix issues that can't be reproduced on 26. The binary
  still runs on **macOS 15 (Sequoia)** but with reduced networking: only the single default
  subnet is available, and the `container network` group and `--network` flag error out.
  macOS-26-gated features are called out throughout the reference files.
- **Version:** this skill documents the **1.0.0** release (the fullest feature set). The `machine`
  group, `container cp`, `container export`, `container prune`, `container image prune`,
  `container registry list`, and `container system version` were **added in 1.0.0** (not in 0.7.1)
  — features that postdate 0.7.1 are flagged *(1.0.0+)* in the reference files. Run `container --version` and
  `container <group> --help` to see what your installed build supports.
- Install by downloading the signed `.pkg` installer from the project's GitHub releases
  (`apple/container`) and running it. See `references/concepts.md` for the full
  requirements/compatibility matrix and how the VM-per-container model works.

## Setup

Install the signed package, then start the background services once:

1. **Download** the latest signed installer `.pkg` from the
   [GitHub releases page](https://github.com/apple/container/releases).
2. **Double-click** the downloaded package and follow the prompts, entering your admin
   password so it can place files under `/usr/local`. (There is no documented CLI `installer`
   invocation — installation is via the GUI package.)
3. **Start the services** and confirm they are healthy:

```bash
# Start the container services (container-apiserver + helpers via launchd). On first run it
# offers to install the default Linux kernel — accept it, or start non-interactively with
# `--disable-kernel-install` and add a kernel later via `container system kernel set`.
container system start

# Verify services are healthy
container system status
```

`container system start` must have run before any container/image/build command works — a
connection/XPC error almost always means the services are stopped, so run it again. Stop and
deregister the `launchd` services with `container system stop` (which takes only `-p/--prefix`).
The startup flags for `container system start` (`-a/--app-root`, `--install-root`, `--log-root`,
`--enable-kernel-install`/`--disable-kernel-install`, `--timeout`) are in
`references/configuration.md`.

**Upgrade / downgrade / uninstall** use helper scripts in `/usr/local/bin` (stop first with
`container system stop`): `update-container.sh` (add `-v <version>` to pin a version), and
`uninstall-container.sh -d` to remove user data or `-k` to keep it. Full recipes in
`references/workflows.md`.

## Command groups at a glance

Invoke everything as `container <group> <subcommand>`. Container-lifecycle verbs (`run`,
`create`, `start`, `stop`, `exec`, `logs`, `inspect`, `list`/`ls`, `delete`/`rm`, `kill`,
`stats`) and `build` are top-level; image operations like `push`, `pull`, and `tag` live
under `container image`. Run `container <group> --help` for exact flags, or read
`references/commands.md` for the exhaustive matrix.

| Group | What it does | Example |
|-------|--------------|---------|
| container lifecycle | Create, start, run, stop, exec, inspect, list, remove containers | `container run --rm -it docker.io/library/alpine sh` |
| build | Build an OCI image from a Dockerfile in the builder VM | `container build -t myapp:latest .` |
| image | List, tag, inspect, remove, load/save, prune local images; push/pull to registries | `container image ls` |
| registry | Authenticate (login/logout/list) to OCI registries | `container registry login ghcr.io` |
| system | Start/stop/status services, logs, disk usage (`df`), DNS, kernel, properties | `container system status` |
| network | Create/list/remove container networks (**macOS 26 only**) | `container network create mynet` |
| volume | Create/list/inspect/remove persistent volumes | `container volume create data` |
| builder | Manage the builder VM that runs `container build` (start/stop/status) | `container builder status` |
| machine *(1.0.0+)* | Persistent Linux "machine" environments (added in 1.0.0) | `container machine --help` |

Exact subcommand names, aliases, arguments, and flags for each group live in
`references/commands.md` — consult it before running an unfamiliar command rather than
guessing Docker-equivalent syntax.

## Navigating this skill

Read the reference file that matches the task; do not guess flags or behavior.

- **`references/commands.md`** — exhaustive CLI reference: every command group, subcommand,
  alias, argument, and flag. Read this to construct any concrete `container ...` invocation,
  or to confirm a flag exists before using it.
- **`references/concepts.md`** — architecture (VM-per-container, Containerization framework),
  system requirements and macOS 15 vs 26 differences, networking model, per-container IPs,
  security model, and a Docker-vs-`container` comparison. Read this to explain how or why
  something works, or when a Docker mental model gives the wrong answer.
- **`references/configuration.md`** — the system service, `config.toml` / property model,
  default kernel, DNS domains, default registry, builder resources, and machine settings.
  Read this to change defaults, tune CPU/memory, point at a private registry, or manage the
  kernel.
- **`references/workflows.md`** — copy-pasteable task recipes (run an image, build & push,
  wire up local DNS, mount a volume, expose ports) and troubleshooting for common failures.
  Read this first when the user wants to accomplish a concrete end-to-end task.

## Key rules

- **This is not Docker.** The CLI resembles Docker, but flags, defaults, and daemon behavior
  differ. Verify syntax in `references/commands.md` instead of assuming Docker equivalence.
- **Always ensure services are up first.** Run `container system start` (and confirm with
  `container system status`) before any container/image/build command; connection errors
  usually mean the services are stopped.
- **Images are standard OCI artifacts** and interoperate with Docker registries and other OCI
  tools. Image references that omit a registry default to `docker.io` (configurable via the
  `registry.domain` property — see `references/configuration.md`).
- **Each container gets its own IP address** on its network (one lightweight VM per
  container). There is no shared Docker bridge; reach a container directly by its IP, or set
  up a local DNS domain (`container system dns create ...`, admin required) for name-based
  access.
- **`container network` requires macOS 26.** On macOS 15 only the single default subnet is
  available and the network command group is unavailable — see `references/concepts.md`.
- **Use fully-qualified image references** when precision matters (e.g.
  `docker.io/library/alpine` rather than bare `alpine`) to avoid ambiguity about the source
  registry.

## Limitations

- Apple Container requires Apple silicon and has materially different support and networking
  behavior across macOS releases; verify the installed CLI version before relying on a flag.
- OCI images and registry content are third-party inputs. Inspect and trust the image source
  before pulling or running it.
- This skill does not make container workloads safe by default: mounts, published ports,
  privileged settings, registry credentials, and cleanup can expose or destroy data.
- Stop before uninstalling, pruning, deleting containers, volumes, or images, and require
  explicit approval for each destructive action.