Blog

We fixed container memory usage on macOS

New in OrbStack: dynamic memory management! We've fixed the biggest issue with Docker containers and VMs on macOS, automatically releasing unneeded memory to improve performance.

Danny Lin · August 22, 2024

Truly fast container filesystems on macOS

Since the beginning of Docker and containers on macOS, developers have complained about slow installs, app startup, and much more. We've fixed this with 2-5x speedups, getting most real-world use cases to 75-95% of native performance.

Danny Lin · May 22, 2024

Container debugging made easy: zsh, tools, packages on any image

It's 12 AM and your Docker container isn't working, but debugging it with docker exec is impossible because it has no shell or tools. OrbStack Debug Shell provides a nice zsh setup with auto-complete, editors, common tools, and over 80,000 packages, on top of any container.

Danny Lin · March 21, 2024

OrbStack 1.3: Cloud-init and cluster.local

OrbStack 1.3 is here! This release brings Cloud-init for automatic machine setup and cluster.local domains for Kubernetes. You can now use the same Cloud-init user data as AWS EC2 and other cloud providers to create OrbStack machines, and connect to Kubernetes services and pods with cluster.local domains.

Danny Lin · December 28, 2023

OrbStack 1.2: No more "docker cp"

OrbStack 1.2 is here! This release brings native access to container files from Finder & Terminal, plus a whole swath of bug fixes. No more copying files in and out with `docker cp`. No more `docker exec` to navigate and edit files. No more clunky file browser UIs.

Danny Lin · December 20, 2023

OrbStack 1.1: HTTPS for containers in 6 seconds

OrbStack 1.1 is here! This release brings automatic, zero-config HTTPS for your containers, along with a few other improvements. The hours spent on generating certificates, private keys, configuring reverse proxies, and changing trust settings are now a thing of the past.

Danny Lin · November 16, 2023

OrbStack 1.0: Fast, light, easy way to run Docker containers & Linux

OrbStack 1.0 is here! It's a fast, light, and easy-to-use Docker Desktop alternative that also runs Kubernetes and Linux machines (like WSL). The 1.0 release offers an excellent level of compatibility and reliability.

Danny Lin · September 21, 2023