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OrbStack cli cheatsheet

6 min read
#macos #devops #docker #kubernetes #orbstack

Pocket reference for managing OrbStack, Linux VMs, and Docker containers.

1 · OrbStack Platform Management

Lifecycle & Status

Command Description
orb start Start OrbStack (launches the daemon)
orb stop Stop OrbStack and all running VMs/containers
orb status Check if OrbStack is currently running
orb restart Restart OrbStack
orb restart docker Restart only the Docker engine
orb version Print OrbStack version
orb update Update OrbStack to the latest version

Configuration

Command Description
orb config show Display current OrbStack configuration
orb config set <key> <value> Change a setting (e.g. memory, cpu)
orb config docker Edit Docker daemon.json config

💡 Settings can also be changed in the GUI under Settings.

Account & Migration

Command Description
orb login Log in and activate your OrbStack license
orb logout Log out of your OrbStack account
orb migrate docker Migrate data from Docker Desktop to OrbStack
orb report Gather diagnostic info for a bug report
orb reset Delete ALL Linux and Docker data (destructive!)

Docker Context Switching

Command Description
docker context use orbstack Switch Docker CLI to OrbStack engine
docker context use desktop-linux Switch Docker CLI back to Docker Desktop
docker context show Show current active Docker context

💡 Useful when running OrbStack side-by-side with Docker Desktop or Colima.

Logs

Command Description
orb logs docker View Docker engine logs
orb logs <machine-name> View boot/system logs for a Linux machine

Shell Completions

Command Description
orb completion bash Generate bash completion script
orb completion zsh Generate zsh completion script
orb completion fish Generate fish completion script

2 · Linux VM (Machine) Management

Create & Delete

Command Description
orb create ubuntu my-vm Create an Ubuntu machine named 'my-vm'
orb create ubuntu:jammy my-vm Create with a specific distro version
orb create --arch amd64 ubuntu my-vm Create an Intel/x86_64 VM on Apple Silicon
orb delete my-vm Delete a machine

💡 Supported distros include Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch, Alpine, Rocky, NixOS, and more.

Lifecycle

Command Description
orb start my-vm Start a stopped machine
orb stop my-vm Stop a running machine
orb restart my-vm Restart a machine

Info & Listing

Command Description
orb list List all machines (name, state, distro, arch)
orb info my-vm Get detailed info about a machine
orb default Show the current default machine
orb default my-vm Set a machine as the default
orb rename old-name new-name Rename a machine

Shell Access

Command Description
orb Open a shell in the default machine
orb -m my-vm Open a shell in a specific machine
orb -u root Open a shell as root (passwordless sudo)
orb -m my-vm -u root Root shell in a specific machine
ssh orb SSH into the default machine
ssh my-vm@orb SSH into a specific machine

💡 OrbStack has a built-in SSH server — no need to install one in each machine.

Run Commands Remotely

Command Description
orb run my-vm ls /etc Run a command in a machine without entering it
orbctl run -m my-vm <cmd> Explicit form using orbctl
orbctl shell -m my-vm Explicit form to open a shell

File Transfer (Mac ↔ Linux)

Command Description
orb push my-vm localfile.txt /home/user/ Copy file from Mac → Linux machine
orb pull my-vm /home/user/file.txt ./ Copy file from Linux machine → Mac

💡 Inside a VM, Mac files are accessible at /mnt/mac or the same path. Cross-machine files at /mnt/machines/.

Running macOS Commands from Linux

Command Description
mac <command> Run a macOS command from inside a Linux VM
mac link <command> Symlink a macOS command so it runs natively in Linux
mac uname -a Example: run macOS uname from Linux
open file.txt Open a file with the default Mac app (aliased)
pbcopy / pbpaste Mac clipboard access from Linux (aliased)

3 · Container Management (Docker via OrbStack)

OrbStack provides a full Docker engine. All standard docker and docker compose commands work as-is, including Compose and buildx.

Container Lifecycle

Command Description
docker run -d --name web nginx Create and start a container
docker start web Start a stopped container
docker stop web Stop a running container
docker restart web Restart a container
docker rm web Remove a stopped container
docker rm -f web Force remove (stop + remove)
docker ps List running containers
docker ps -a List all containers (including stopped)

Exec & Logs

Command Description
docker exec -it web bash Open interactive shell in a container
docker logs web View container logs
docker logs -f web Follow (tail) container logs
docker inspect web Detailed JSON info about a container

Images

Command Description
docker images List local images
docker pull nginx:alpine Pull an image from a registry
docker build -t myapp:v1 . Build an image from a Dockerfile
docker tag src:v1 dest:v1 Tag an image
docker push myrepo/myapp:v1 Push an image to a registry
docker rmi nginx:alpine Remove a local image
docker image prune -a Remove all unused images

Volumes & Networks

Command Description
docker volume ls List volumes
docker volume create mydata Create a named volume
docker volume rm mydata Remove a volume
docker network ls List networks
docker network create mynet Create a network
docker network connect mynet web Connect a container to a network

Docker Compose

Command Description
docker compose up -d Start all services in detached mode
docker compose down Stop and remove all services
docker compose down -v Stop, remove, and delete volumes
docker compose ps List running compose services
docker compose logs -f Follow logs for all services
docker compose exec web bash Shell into a compose service
docker compose config Validate and display resolved config

Buildx & Multi-Platform

Command Description
docker buildx ls List builder instances
docker buildx inspect Inspect current builder
docker buildx build --platform linux/amd64,linux/arm64 . Multi-platform build

Cleanup

Command Description
docker system prune Remove unused containers, networks, images
docker system prune -a --volumes Aggressive cleanup (reclaim disk)
docker builder prune -a Clear build cache

OrbStack-Specific Docker Features

Command Description
orb debug <container> Debug a container with extra commands
orb logs docker View the Docker engine logs
orb config docker Edit Docker daemon.json
orb restart docker Restart the Docker engine

💡 Containers get automatic domain names: <container>.orb.local. SSH agent forwarding is available via /run/host-services/ssh-auth.sock.

4 · Kubernetes (Quick Reference)

OrbStack includes a lightweight single-node K8s cluster. Built images are immediately available — no registry push needed.

Command Description
orb k8s start Start the Kubernetes cluster
orb k8s stop Stop the Kubernetes cluster
kubectl get pods Standard kubectl works out of the box
kubectl apply -f manifest.yaml Deploy resources as usual

💡 All K8s service types are accessible from Mac. LoadBalancer services work at *.k8s.orb.local.

OrbStack CLI Cheat Sheet · docs.orbstack.dev · February 2026