Getting Started

Colima is a container runtime for macOS (and Linux) with minimal setup. It supports Docker, Containerd, and Kubernetes out of the box.

Prerequisites

  • macOS (Intel or Apple Silicon) or Linux
  • Homebrew package manager
  • For Kubernetes: kubectl (optional)

Install 

brew install colima

Start Colima

Once installed, start Colima with:

colima start

This starts a VM with the Docker runtime. You can now use Docker commands:

docker ps
docker run hello-world

Verify Installation

Check that Colima is running:

colima status

You should see output indicating the VM is running:

INFO[0000] colima is running using QEMU
INFO[0000] arch: aarch64
INFO[0000] runtime: docker
INFO[0000] mountType: sshfs

Next Steps

  • Learn about Installation options for your platform
  • Explore Runtimes to use Docker, Kubernetes, Containerd, or Incus
  • Customize your setup with Configuration options
  • Check the Commands reference for all available commands