Lima: A nice way to run Linux VMs on Mac (jvns.ca)

Article summary

The article discusses Lima, a tool for running Linux VMs on Mac, and its simplicity compared to Vagrant. The author found Lima easy to set up and use, with a default configuration that mounts the home directory as read-only inside the VM. However, the author encountered issues with mounting directories read-write and networking. The article also mentions OrbStack as an alternative with better networking support.

Main themes

• Lima and Linux VMs on Mac
• Colima and Docker support
• Multipass and alternatives
• Networking and performance issues
• Virtualization.framework and M1 support
• Containerization and Docker Desktop comparison

What commenters say

• Lima is a useful tool for running Linux VMs on Mac, offering a simpler alternative to Vagrant.
• Colima, which uses Lima, provides a low-configuration command line tool for spinning up a Linux VM with Docker support.
• Some users prefer Colima over Docker Desktop due to its lighter install and better performance.
• Multipass is another option for running Linux VMs on Mac, but it has limitations such as only running Ubuntu VMs and tricky setup for fixed IPs.
• Lima can be used with Virtualization.framework, which may provide better support for nested Rosetta extensions on M1 machines.
• Colima has some caveats, such as mounts not working by default, but workarounds are available.
• OrbStack may offer better networking support than Lima, but both tools have their own strengths and weaknesses.