Lima (Linux Machines) launches Linux virtual machines on macOS and Linux with automatic file sharing, port forwarding, and containerd pre-installed. It exists to give macOS developers a lightweight way to run Linux workloads without Docker Desktop.
On macOS Lima uses the native Virtualization.framework or QEMU as the hypervisor, boots a cloud-init-configured Ubuntu, Fedora, or Alpine image, and sets up a virtiofs or 9p mount so the host’s home directory appears inside the guest. Guest agents forward listening ports back to localhost on the host, so a service started inside the VM is reachable without extra configuration. The limactl CLI takes a YAML template describing CPU, memory, disk, mounts, and provisioning scripts, which makes per-project environments reproducible. nerdctl, the Docker-compatible CLI from the containerd project, is bundled so lima nerdctl run works as a drop-in for docker run.
Lima is the engine underneath Colima, Rancher Desktop, and Finch, all of which wrap it with a simpler UX aimed at Docker replacement. It competes with Docker Desktop, Podman Machine, and OrbStack, and is maintained by Akihiro Suda, one of the containerd and BuildKit maintainers.
