Comment by RobMurray
2 days ago
Docker does seem to be an unnecessary overhead considering it's reliance on a Linux VM. What does Docker bring to the table that couldn't easily be replaced with a native Mac app?
2 days ago
Docker does seem to be an unnecessary overhead considering it's reliance on a Linux VM. What does Docker bring to the table that couldn't easily be replaced with a native Mac app?
Totally get your point. Docker isn’t about performance here. It’s just used as a management interface to connect to VMs running directly on the macOS host via Apple’s Vz. We went with this approach for Lume because Docker offers a familiar, automation-friendly workflow—great for CI, AI agents, and bundling things like noVNC
That was my point, and that was the Linux VM dependency that the OP doesn't realize exists.
Also there's some permanently running service. What's the point, to save 30 milliseconds out of the time to set up a VM which is certainly measured in tens of seconds?
The primary benefit here is automation and ease of management, especially for CI or AI agent workflows, rather than saving tiny amounts of time on VM setup. Docker's role is to offer a consistent and familiar management interface, which can be useful for automation and scaling, not for shaving milliseconds off VM boot times
What I think you’re not addressing is the question about the Linux VM that Docker requires on a Mac. I don’t think there is a question about the benefits of Docker from a management point of view. The question is — is it worth keeping around a running Linux VM just to get those management benefits. Since you’re not actually using Docker (the daemon) to run Macs in a container, how much of that micro Linux VM is necessary? Is that overhead worth it?
(This is coming from someone who keeps colima running all the time on my Mac)
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