Expert guidance for Apple's `container` CLI. the open-source tool for running, building, and managing Linux containers and persistent Linux "container machines" as lightweight VMs on Apple silicon Macs. Use when the user wants to run containers or Linux dev environments on a Mac with Apple `container`, replace Docker Desktop, Colima, Lima, or OrbStack, use commands like `container run`, `container build`, `container machine create`, or `container system start`, or configure ports, volumes, networks, registries, DNS, or container networking on macOS. Also use for diagnosing Apple `container` runtime, VM, port, DNS, or networking issues. Do not use for Docker Desktop, Podman, Kubernetes-specific workflows, or generic Dockerfile authoring unrelated to Apple `container` on Mac.
2026-06-15