A Faster Docker Desktop Alternative

It's no secret that Docker Desktop is a memory hog...

And if you have a few images running, things can slow down.

If you are on Mac, I recently found a great alternative called OrbStack.

"OrbStack is a drop-in replacement for Docker Desktop on macOS." And they mean it! I was up and running in less than 5 minutes.

The OrbStack Advantage

The TLDR is it's fast and won't eat all of your RAM. As for a bit more detail:

• OrbStack leverages macOS-native virtualization technologies, resulting in significantly faster startup times and overall performance than Docker Desktop.
• By optimizing resource usage, OrbStack allows developers to run more containers simultaneously without overwhelming their systems.
• Unlike Docker, which relies on a Linux VM, OrbStack integrates seamlessly with the Mac environment, improving stability and a more intuitive user experience.
• Features like automatic port forwarding and easy SSH container access contribute to smoother development.

Alright, I'll use it

To install you can either download the OrbStack installer or, if you use Homebrew run:

brew install orbstack

Once installed, open the OrbStack application in your Launchpad to start it or use the orb command.

Then, you can use your docker commands the same way you would have before with Docker Desktop running.

I don't recommend it for primetime just yet (meaning if you work in an enterprise company, it probably won't fly), but for your own development tools, it might make things a little bit snappier!