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Karthik Vinayan edited this page Jun 24, 2026 · 2 revisions

dcon wiki

A drop-in Docker CLI for macOS that translates docker commands to Apple's container runtime on Apple silicon. It is one ~5.3 MB static Go binary with no daemon of its own and no desktop app, and it runs a separate Linux microVM per container. Alias docker=dcon and your existing scripts, CI, and Makefiles keep working.

This wiki covers the details. The README is the quick start.

Pages

  • Warm Pool — pre-booted single-use microVMs that serve simple --rm runs in ~90 ms instead of cold-booting (~700 ms), with the same per-container isolation.
  • Architecture — how dcon shells out to Apple container (apiserver → Virtualization.framework → per-container microVM), where container-start time goes, and why pre-warming is needed to get past Apple's serialized-boot floor.
  • Benchmarks & Comparison — dcon vs OrbStack vs Docker Desktop: ~92 MB idle, warm/cold start latency, pull, full numbers, and the Apple-bound limits.
  • Command Parity — the full Docker command surface dcon maps, with the legend ✅ full · ≈ best-effort · 🍏 Apple-native extra · ⛔ unsupported by the backend.

For copy-pasteable recipes, see the cookbook (SECONDARY.md); for install and a quick start, the README.

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