You can use Colima to get the same functionality, minus auto-start on boot.

https://github.com/abiosoft/colima

I had problems pushing to AWS ECR from Colima and had to switch back to Docker Desktop. But for day-to-day usage it seemed to work great.

I had to manually ln colima’s docker.sock to the default to get AWS SAM to work. Regardless of setting the env variable or docker context, it would always try to use the default docker.sock.

Might be a similar issue for ECR.

Yep, that sounds exactly like the issue I had. You linked the Colima socket to the Docker socket location?

Sorry for the late reply, but yep! It's the "if all else fails" instruction from their FAQ:

https://github.com/abiosoft/colima/blob/main/docs/FAQ.md#can...

I use podman: https://podman.io/getting-started/installation#macos

Its CLI is similar/same as docker

Rancher desktop, or (my preferred) colima + docker cli.

Linux I just install some stuff from apt, so I assume you can brew install something to run it command line (no GUI)

Docker uses container functionality specific to the Linux kernel. So on Linux, you can install a relatively lightweight engine. But on MacOS or Windows, you need to install the entire "Docker Desktop" app, which secretly spins up a Linux VM in the background, and presents a (pretty poor) abstraction as if this is all running on the host machine.

docker-machine from brew sets up the linux vm using one of a few virtualization options. iirc I always used bhyve and never had to give it a second thought.

On Windows, you don't really need to use Docker Desktop, I personally find it more convenient to run just plain old Docker in WSL. It's still a Linux VM, but you get more control over it.

I never understood what the point of Docker Desktop was on Windows if WSL exists.

based on other comments here, there are cases when people like/need GUI part

Podman and Podman Desktop?

What do you mean? I just do `apt install docker`.

> The thing that I have to install on MacOS so that I can run docker.

There is no apt on macOS.

Oh macOS doesn't have a package manager? Damn that sucks /s

Don't play dumb, you're wasting everyone's time.

The parent comment was talking about Docker desktop, which is clearly targeted at macos and windows. Saying that you can just download it with an apt command is irrelevant to the discussion, because we can't use that outside of linux.

> which is clearly targeted at macos and windows

I didn't know what it was, so I didn't know it was only for macos and windows. If instead of being sarcastic he had just answered my question, I wouldn't have said something irrelevant.

You asked a question which literally has no relevancy to or answer in macOS. There is no apt. There is no default package manager. There is no equivalent command to run on a new system.

If you wanted a real answer, you should have asked a real question. Something like, are there any options other than docker desktop for macOS?

> What's Docker Desktop exactly?

> If you wanted a real answer, you should have asked a real question

Alright then.

Pro-tip Remove that keybase from your profile, you look ridiculous.

Nobody is talking about that question. You received an answer to it already:

> The thing that I have to install on MacOS so that I can run docker. Is there any other way(i.e no gui utility) ?

We're talking about your subsequent reply asking a further question. A question that has no relevancy to or answer for macOS for reasons already discussed. As I said before, if you wanted a real answer then you should've asked a real question.

> Pro-tip Remove that keybase from your profile, you look ridiculous.

Nobody asked for your unsolicited advice or opinions regarding Keybase or ones' use of it in their profile, thanks.

What does apt do on macos

> on MacOS

brew install docker

That installs Docker Desktop, which is exactly what we are talking about

That installs the Docker CLI which is not Docker Desktop. brew install homebrew/cask/docker is Docker Desktop.

The simplest hack initially was to just run minikube and use the packaged docker daemon there. Second to that (and much more heavy handed) was to just manage your own linux VM. But there are other projects like colima that have sprung up as well that also work well.

your question is confusing, docker-desktop is a gui utility. rancher-desktop is the equivalent to that.

if you don't want a command line, docker itself (the underlying utility that the docker-desktop GUI drives) is free, in contrast to the GUI portion. Or kubernetes.

so the direct answer is "brew install docker".

Nope, none of this is correct. Docker only runs on Linux. The core purpose of Docker Desktop (and similar tools) is to spin up a Linux VM under the hood and manage its lifecycle, route network calls, share volumes etc. You can do all of this yourself of course, but it will be a non-trivial amount of effort to set it up.

"brew install docker" is just another way to install Docker Desktop. It does not run Docker natively on MacOS, because that is impossible.

similarly, `brew install podman` will install something a lot like Docker Desktop

> "brew install docker" is just another way to install Docker Desktop.

No, it's not! that would be "brew install homebrew/cask/docker". As you can see here!

https://formulae.brew.sh/cask/docker

This is the docker CLI utility, ie "brew install docker" which is what I said:

https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/docker

Again, please actually look at the commands you are referencing before spreading misinformation, you are confidently incorrect and being rude about it.

Not only that but the information you are providing has legal implications because these two (completely different!) pieces of software have different licensing... docker-desktop is commercial license, not open-source!

The only way to get Docker to work on MacOS and Windows is to spin up a linux VM, install Docker in that VM, and pipe through all the calls to it. You can always do this manually using your VM of choice. There are a bunch of tools which make this more seamless, Docker Desktop being one of them. Alternatives are Podman, Colima, Rancher Desktop, all of them with their own pros and cons.

You've been able to `brew install docker-machine` for like 10 years. Docker Desktop just gave you a UI for stopping and starting things. Eventually they added some kubernetes stuff and a kubernetes context switcher. Dunno what else it did since I always installed via brew.

I would have been a docker desktop user for years but the one time I went to install it they required me to create an account to get to the download.

Rancher desktop (gui), colima (no gui)

I have found Colima to be a pretty hassle free alternative: https://github.com/abiosoft/colima