{
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  "@type": "SoftwareApplication",
  "@id": "https://www.nuanyue.com/software/orbstack/#software",
  "name": "OrbStack",
  "description": "Fast, light, and simple way to run Docker containers and Linux machines on macOS.",
  "url": "https://www.nuanyue.com/software/orbstack/",
  "mainEntityOfPage": "https://www.nuanyue.com/software/orbstack/",
  "operatingSystem": "macOS",
  "applicationCategory": "DeveloperApplication",
  "publisher": {
    "name": "OrbStack",
    "url": "https://orbstack.dev/"
  },
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  "softwareVersion": "2.2.3",
  "license": "Proprietary",
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    "slug": "orbstack",
    "name": "OrbStack",
    "type": "SoftwareApplication",
    "entityType": "container platform",
    "description": "Fast, light, and simple way to run Docker containers and Linux machines on macOS.",
    "shortDescription": "Fast, light, and simple way to run Docker containers and Linux machines on macOS.",
    "answer": "OrbStack runs Docker containers and Linux machines on a Mac inside a single lightweight virtual machine that shares one kernel, and its pitch is that it does so faster and more quietly than Docker Desktop. It is a proprietary, macOS-only application — the Docker Engine it hosts is open source, but OrbStack itself is not. It is free for personal, non-commercial use, while commercial use requires a Pro licence at $8 per user per month, billed annually. It requires macOS 14 or newer and ships separate Apple Silicon and Intel builds. It is a drop-in Docker Desktop replacement that can migrate your existing containers, volumes and images. Choose it if you want Docker and Linux on a Mac with minimal overhead and no per-seat cost for personal work.",
    "page": "https://www.nuanyue.com/software/orbstack/",
    "dataUrl": "https://www.nuanyue.com/data/software/orbstack.json",
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    "architecture": [],
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    "pricing": "freemium",
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    "currentVersion": "2.2.3",
    "openSource": false,
    "website": "https://orbstack.dev/",
    "documentation": "https://docs.orbstack.dev/",
    "download": "https://cdn-updates.orbstack.dev/arm64/OrbStack_v2.2.3_20963_arm64.dmg",
    "developer": {
      "name": "OrbStack",
      "website": "https://orbstack.dev/"
    },
    "icon": "/apps/orbstack.png",
    "features": [
      "Runs Docker containers, Kubernetes clusters and Linux machines in a single app.",
      "Automatic local domain names such as myapp.orb.local for running containers.",
      "Rosetta-based emulation for running x86 containers and machines on Apple Silicon.",
      "VirtioFS file sharing with dynamic caching for fast bind mounts and Mac file access.",
      "Two-way command line integration through orb and orbctl, plus the bundled Docker CLI.",
      "A native Swift app with a menu bar controller and automatic Docker Desktop data migration."
    ],
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      "Running Linux machines and Kubernetes clusters locally",
      "Migrating existing Docker Desktop containers, volumes and images",
      "Reaching a running container at a local domain name such as myapp.orb.local",
      "Running x86 containers on Apple Silicon through Rosetta emulation"
    ],
    "formats": [],
    "integrations": [],
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        "text": "Starts in about two seconds and uses under 0.1% background CPU on Apple Silicon, making it markedly lighter than Docker Desktop.",
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      },
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        "text": "Documented as a drop-in Docker Desktop replacement that can migrate existing containers, volumes and images automatically.",
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      },
      {
        "text": "Free for personal, non-commercial use, with a paid Pro tier only for business and commercial use.",
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        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ],
    "cons": [
      {
        "text": "Commercial use requires a Pro licence at $8 per user per month, billed annually at $96; the free tier is limited to personal, non-commercial use.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "text": "All Linux machines share one kernel with the Docker engine, so OrbStack's isolated machines are not a substitute for a full VM against actively malicious code.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "documentation",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ],
    "whoIsItFor": [
      "Mac developers who run Docker containers locally and want minimal overhead",
      "Individual developers doing personal, non-commercial work",
      "Developers moving off Docker Desktop who want their existing containers and volumes migrated"
    ],
    "notFor": [
      "Commercial teams that cannot pay — the free tier is scoped to personal, non-commercial use",
      "Windows or Linux users — OrbStack is macOS only",
      "Anyone who needs a full virtual machine as a security boundary against actively malicious code"
    ],
    "limitations": [
      "OrbStack is proprietary; the Docker Engine it hosts is open source but OrbStack itself is not"
    ],
    "firstUse": {
      "installation": {
        "value": "Download the Apple Silicon or Intel .dmg from orbstack.dev and open it; the orb and orbctl tools are also available under ~/.orbstack/bin.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "source": "documentation",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      "firstLaunch": {
        "value": "Offers to migrate Docker Desktop data — containers, volumes and images — and, with admin access, can point the /var/run/docker.sock symlink at its own engine.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "source": "documentation",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
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        "value": "Installs docker, docker compose and docker buildx by linking them into /usr/local/bin and adding ~/.orbstack/bin to PATH, without overwriting tools installed by other means.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "source": "documentation",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
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        "status": "verified",
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        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      }
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        "version": "2.2.3",
        "date": "2026-08-07",
        "summary": "Adds a Builds tab for Docker build history and steps, and SME support on M4 and newer chips.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "official"
      }
    ],
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      {
        "question": "Is OrbStack free?",
        "answer": "OrbStack is free for personal, non-commercial use. Business and commercial use requires a Pro licence at $8 per user per month, billed annually at $96, which also adds the Debug Shell and priority support.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "question": "Does OrbStack work on Apple Silicon?",
        "answer": "Yes. OrbStack publishes separate Apple Silicon and Intel builds, and on Apple Silicon it uses Rosetta to emulate x86 containers and machines, which it describes as much faster than QEMU.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "question": "What macOS version does OrbStack require?",
        "answer": "The download page states OrbStack supports macOS 14.0 and above. Release notes confirm the floor moved up over time: macOS 12 support was removed in v1.8.0 and macOS 13 in v2.0.",
        "status": "verified",
        "source": "official",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "question": "Is OrbStack a drop-in replacement for Docker Desktop?",
        "answer": "Yes. OrbStack documents switching as seamless, can migrate Docker Desktop data automatically, and ships the docker, docker compose and docker buildx command line tools.",
        "status": "developer-stated",
        "source": "documentation",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "question": "Is OrbStack open source?",
        "answer": "No. OrbStack is distributed as a proprietary application, and its public GitHub repository is used for bug reports and feature requests rather than publishing the app's source.",
        "status": "editorially-reviewed",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ],
    "relationships": [
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        "type": "compared_with",
        "reason": "Both run Linux containers on macOS through a managed virtual machine; the two are compared head to head on Nuanyue.",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "target": "podman-desktop",
        "type": "alternative",
        "reason": "Both are Docker Desktop alternatives; Podman Desktop is daemonless and free for commercial use, while OrbStack charges for business use.",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "target": "rancher-desktop",
        "type": "alternative",
        "reason": "Both bundle Kubernetes and container tooling for macOS; Rancher Desktop is open source and free for commercial use.",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "target": "lima",
        "type": "similar",
        "reason": "Lima provides the Linux virtual machine layer that container tools build on, without bundling a container platform of its own.",
        "verifiedAt": "2026-10-05T00:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ],
    "sources": [
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        "id": "orbstack:official",
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        "url": "https://orbstack.dev/",
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}