macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install containerlocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install containerMacPorts ports tree · devel/container/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew / rank 1008
Install container with Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix
Create and run Linux containers using lightweight virtual machines. Version 1.2.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-29. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#container.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#containernixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/co/container/package.nix · source: api.github.com
overview
Package summary
Create and run Linux containers using lightweight virtual machines
Project links
Commands and aliases
- container
- container-apiserver
history
Project history and usage
Apple's `container` is a macOS-focused CLI for creating and running Linux containers as lightweight virtual machines. It is written in Swift, optimized for Apple silicon, and designed around OCI-compatible images and registries.
Project history
Apple published the initial 0.1.0 release in June 2025 and reached 1.0.0 in June 2026. The README describes the project as active development, with stability guarantees limited to patch versions until the 1.0.0 milestone.
Adoption history
Official documentation frames the tool around macOS developers who need Linux containers without a shared Linux VM. The project also became package-manager-relevant quickly because Homebrew, MacPorts, and Nix package records appeared around a first-party Apple runtime rather than a Docker Desktop replacement package.
How it is used
The CLI can start the system service, pull and run OCI images, build images from Dockerfiles, push images to registries, and manage containers, images, registries, builders, and system components. Its technical overview explains that each container runs in its own lightweight VM through Apple's Containerization package and macOS frameworks such as Virtualization, vmnet, XPC, launchd, Keychain services, and unified logging.
Why package nerds care
For package nerds, `container` is significant because it makes Apple's native container stack installable and scriptable as a CLI. Its use of OCI images preserves interoperability with existing registries, while its macOS-only virtualization model creates a distinct packaging target from Linux containerd/runc stacks and Docker Desktop-style bundles.
Timeline
- 2025: 0.1.0 release published.
- 2026: 1.0.0 release published.
- 2026: Documentation states support targets macOS 26 and Apple silicon.
Related projects
- `container` uses Apple's Containerization Swift package for low-level container, image, and process management. Its technical overview also connects it to OCI image standards and macOS platform frameworks.
Sources
- https://github.com/apple/container#readme
- https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/docs/technical-overview.md
- https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/docs/tutorials/start-here.md
- https://github.com/apple/container/releases/tag/0.1.0
- https://github.com/apple/container/releases/tag/1.0.0
- https://apple.github.io/container/documentation
security posture
Risk level: orange
broad file, network, media, or database tool signal. formula declares a Homebrew service.
Risk classifier
orange risk · medium confidence · infrastructure
Why
- broad file, network, media, or database tool signal
- formula declares a Homebrew service
- infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal
Signals
- metadata:service
- text:container,virtual machine
- text:server
Install behavior
- No Homebrew bottle metadata was recorded.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
container | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
container-apiserver | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-08-03
manager version1.2.0
manager updated2026-07-29
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:container |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.2.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://apple.github.io/container/documentation/ |
| Repository | https://github.com/apple/container |
| Last updated | 2026-07-29T17:23:24+01:00 |
| Pulse | updated |
| Bottle | not recorded |
| Service | none declared |
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Nix95%
container
nix profile install nixpkgs#container- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Container
MacPorts95%
container
sudo port install container- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Container
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- pkg.so package database
- pkgdb category and tag curation