How to Run Linux Containers and VMs in macOS 13

Yes, you can run Linux distributions using containers and virtual machines (VMs) on macOS 13 (Ventura). Apple’s operating system provides native support for virtualization through its Hypervisor and Virtualization frameworks, allowing you to run Linux environments with near-native performance on both Apple Silicon (M1/M2) and Intel-based Macs. This guide covers the primary methods and tools available for running Linux via containers and full virtual machines on macOS 13.

Processor Architecture Considerations

Before selecting a tool, consider your Mac's hardware:

  • Apple Silicon (M1/M2): Runs ARM64-based Linux distributions natively. Running x86_64 Linux requires emulation (such as Rosetta 2 for Linux or QEMU), which incurs a performance penalty.
  • Intel Macs: Runs standard x86_64 Linux distributions natively with hardware-accelerated virtualization.

Running Linux Using Containers

Containers share the host kernel (or a lightweight virtualized Linux kernel on macOS) to run isolated Linux user spaces. Several tools facilitate this on macOS 13:

  • Docker Desktop: The most common tool for container management. On macOS 13, Docker uses Apple’s Virtualization framework and can leverage Rosetta 2 to run x86_64 containers on Apple Silicon Macs.
  • Colima: A fast, lightweight, open-source command-line container runtime that runs Docker or containerd inside a minimal Linux VM. It uses fewer system resources than graphical alternatives.
  • Podman: A daemonless alternative to Docker. Podman on macOS utilizes a headless Linux virtual machine (podman machine) to manage and run OCI-compliant Linux containers.

Running Linux Using Virtual Machines

Full virtual machines emulate complete hardware environments, allowing you to run graphical desktops (like Ubuntu Desktop, Fedora Workstation) or complete server distributions.

  • UTM: A free, open-source virtualization application built specifically for macOS. UTM leverages Apple's native Virtualization framework for high-performance virtualization of matching architectures (e.g., ARM64 on Apple Silicon) and uses QEMU for emulating non-native architectures.
  • Lima (Linux on Mac): An open-source CLI tool that sets up Linux virtual machines with automatic file sharing and port forwarding. It is ideal for developers seeking a headless Linux environment.
  • Multipass: Developed by Canonical, Multipass quickly launches Ubuntu VM instances from the command line on macOS with minimal configuration.
  • Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion: Commercial solutions that provide polished user interfaces, seamless clipboard sharing, dynamic display resolution, and optimized graphics drivers for Linux guest OS installations.

macOS 13 Virtualization Enhancements

macOS 13 introduced major improvements to the built-in Virtualization.framework, notably native support for Rosetta inside Linux VMs. This feature enables ARM-based Macs to execute x86_64 Linux binaries within an ARM64 Linux VM with significantly higher performance than traditional software emulation.