Colima - Container runtimes on macOS and Linux

Flag	Short	Description	Default
`--arch`	`-a`	Architecture (aarch64, x86_64)	host
`--vm-type`	`-t`	Virtual machine type (qemu, vz, krunkit)	qemu
`--cpu-type`		CPU type (qemu-system-specific options)
`--hostname`		Custom VM hostname
`--disk-image`	`-i`	Path to custom disk image file
`--vz-rosetta`		Enable Rosetta for amd64 emulation (macOS ARM only)	false
`--nested-virtualization`	`-z`	Enable nested virtualization (macOS only)	false
`--binfmt`		Use binfmt for foreign architecture emulation	true
`--foreground`	`-f`	Keep Colima running in foreground	false

Network Flags

Flag	Description	Default
`--network-address`	Assign reachable IP address to VM (macOS only)	false
`--network-host-addresses`	Enable port forwarding to specific host IPs	false
`--network-mode`	Network mode: shared, bridged (macOS only)	shared
`--network-interface`	Host interface for bridged mode (macOS only)	en0
`--network-preferred-route`	Use assigned IP as preferred route (macOS only)	false
`--gateway-address`	Gateway address for VM network	192.168.5.2
`--port-forwarder`	Port forwarder mechanism (ssh, grpc, none)	ssh

Mount Flags

Flag	Short	Description	Default
`--mount`	`-V`	Directories to mount (suffix `:w` for writable, `none` to disable)
`--mount-type`		Volume driver (sshfs, 9p, virtiofs)	sshfs
`--mount-inotify`		Propagate inotify file events to VM	true

Kubernetes Flags

Flag	Short	Description	Default
`--kubernetes`	`-k`	Start with Kubernetes	false
`--kubernetes-version`		Kubernetes (k3s) version	k3s default
`--k3s-arg`		Additional k3s arguments	–disable=traefik
`--k3s-listen-port`		k3s server listen port	0 (random)

SSH Flags

Flag	Short	Description	Default
`--ssh-agent`	`-s`	Forward SSH agent to VM	false
`--ssh-config`		Generate SSH config in ~/.ssh/config	true
`--ssh-port`		SSH server port	0 (random)

DNS Flags

Flag	Short	Description	Default
`--dns`	`-n`	DNS resolvers for VM
`--dns-host`		Custom DNS host mappings (host=IP)

Configuration Flags

Flag	Short	Description	Default
`--edit`	`-e`	Edit configuration file before starting	false
`--editor`		Editor application (vim, nano, code, etc.)
`--template`		Use template file for initial configuration	true
`--save-config`		Persist config file with specified flags	env-dependent
`--env`		Environment variables for VM (key=value)

Examples

# Basic start
colima start

# Custom resources
colima start --cpus 4 --memory 8 --disk 100

# With Kubernetes
colima start --kubernetes

# Using containerd runtime
colima start --runtime containerd

# Using Incus runtime
colima start --runtime incus

# VZ framework on macOS 13+ with virtiofs mounts
colima start --vm-type vz --mount-type virtiofs

# Enable Rosetta for x86_64 emulation on Apple Silicon
colima start --vm-type vz --vz-rosetta

# Mount directories (read-only and writable)
colima start --mount ~/projects:w --mount ~/data

# Custom DNS servers
colima start --dns 8.8.8.8 --dns 8.8.4.4

# With SSH agent forwarding
colima start --ssh-agent

# Edit configuration before starting
colima start --edit

# Named profile with custom resources
colima start dev --cpus 4 --memory 8

# Enable network address (macOS)
colima start --network-address

# Disable volume mounts
colima start --mount=none

# Disable port forwarding
colima start --port-forwarder=none

Configuration

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Colima can be configured using command-line flags or a YAML configuration file.

Runtimes

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Colima supports multiple container runtimes out of the box. This guide covers how to start and use each runtime.

Profiles

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

A profile in Colima is an independent instance of a virtual machine with its own configuration, runtime, and container data. Profiles allow you to run multiple isolated environments simultaneously, each with different settings tailored to specific use cases.

Understanding Profiles

Each profile is a completely separate Colima instance with:

AI Workloads

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Colima provides an ideal environment to run GPU-powered AI workloads on Apple Silicon devices.

By leveraging Krunkit for GPU access, AI models run in confined, isolated and secure containers.

Requirements

Apple Silicon Mac (M1, M2, M3, or newer)
macOS 13 or newer
Sufficient RAM for your chosen model (8GB+ recommended)
Krunkit installed (see below)

Installing Krunkit

Krunkit is required for GPU access on Apple Silicon. Install it via Homebrew:

FAQ

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Frequently asked questions about Colima.

General

How does Colima compare to Lima?

Colima is a higher level usage of Lima. It utilises Lima to provide Docker, Containerd, Kubernetes, and Incus runtimes with minimal configuration.

Colima v0.10.1 Released

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This incremental update introduces Docker Model Runner support and enhances AI functionality from v0.10.0.

Docker Model Runner Support

Docker Model Runner is now the default AI model runner backend, simplifying requirements. Ramalama remains available as an alternative.

# run a model (uses docker runner by default)
colima model run gemma3

# serve a model, chat interface available at localhost:8080
colima model serve gemma3

# use ramalama runner instead
colima model run gemma3 --runner ramalama

The runner can be configured via the --runner flag, --model-runner flag, or in the config file.

Colima v0.10.0 Released

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This release introduces AI support and other updates.

AI is here

Colima now has AI support.

By leveraging Krunkit and Ramalama, Colima is able to provide the ideal platform to run confined, isolated and secure GPU-powered AI workloads on Apple Silicon devices.

Colima v0.9.1 Released

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Colima v0.9.1 is a hotfix release to address disk error issues for a subset of users.

Fixes

VM Disk Fix - Resolved root disk size being incorrectly set to zero
K3s Enhancement - Added customizable listen port capability

Upgrading

To upgrade to v0.9.1:

Colima v0.9.0 Released

Wed, 24 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

We’re excited to announce the release of Colima v0.9.0, bringing new features, important fixes, and runtime updates.

New Features

Bridged Network Mode

A new --network-mode flag enables bridged networking alongside the default shared mode:

Colima Selected for GitHub Secure Open Source Fund

Mon, 11 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

We’re excited to announce that Colima has been selected for the GitHub Secure Open Source Fund.

The program supported 71 open source projects, bringing together 125 maintainers to improve security practices across the open source ecosystem. Colima was recognized among DevOps, build-system, and container tooling projects that power modern software development.

This selection reflects Colima’s growing importance in the container ecosystem and our commitment to security and reliability.

Read the official announcement: Securing the supply chain at scale: Starting with 71 important open source projects

Community

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Colima has a growing community of users and contributors. Join us to get help, share your experiences, and contribute to the project.

GitHub

Discussions — for general questions, ideas, tips, and community conversations
Issues — for bug reports and feature requests
Open an Issue →

Slack

Join the #colima channel on the CNCF Slack workspace for real-time discussions with the community.

Search

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000