# Oxcart

> Oxcart is a native macOS app for running Docker containers on Apple silicon Macs (macOS 26 or later). It has its own Docker-compatible engine and ships the docker CLI 29.9, Docker Compose 5.6 and Buildx 0.38. On the same Mac and harness it was the fastest of the three runtimes tested (Oxcart, OrbStack, Docker Desktop) at starting, stopping and building containers: `docker run --rm` in 42 ms against 143 ms for the next fastest. It includes a local MCP server so coding agents (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code with Copilot and others) can inspect and manage containers. Price: $20 per user per major version, not a subscription; free for 60 days.

Key facts:
- Platform: macOS 26 or later, Apple silicon only. Oxcart is a Mac app; it does not run on Linux or Windows.
- Works with: docker CLI, Docker Compose (healthcheck dependencies, `up --wait`), Buildx, Docker Engine API 1.40 to 1.54 (Testcontainers, docker-py), Dev Containers CLI, the Docker socket inside containers. amd64 images run through Rosetta.
- Speed (Oxcart 0.1.2, 2026-10-10, Apple M5 Max, 8 CPUs / 12 GiB each, one product at a time): docker run 42 ms (3.4x the next fastest), 8 concurrent runs 96 ms (3.9x), docker stop 19 ms (5.6x), API stop 4.0 ms (21x), stop and remove 20 containers 77 ms (8.9x), engine ready after start 0.8 s. OrbStack 2.2.3 and Docker Desktop 4.94.0 were measured earlier the same day on the same Mac and harness with the docker 29.4 client.
- Coding agents: a local MCP server (stdio, no network port) with 13 tools; read-only by default, with manage, full and block levels per agent. Its crash diagnosis answer is 159 tokens against 2,014 for docker inspect plus docker logs.
- Security: published and outbound TCP between the Mac and the engine travels in TLS 1.3 with a certificate made at every start; Developer ID signed and notarized; EdDSA-signed updates; setup makes no network connections.
- Networking: outbound connections are opened by the Mac, so VPN routes, split DNS and per-app firewalls (Little Snitch, LuLu) apply to containers.
- Privileged containers: supported through `docker run --privileged` and `privileged: true` in Compose, for workloads that need elevated permissions inside Linux.
- Verified local cloud workflows: AWS Lambda container images with the Runtime Interface Emulator, LocalStack (S3), Azurite, the Azure Functions image (amd64 through Rosetta), Cloud Run-style containers on $PORT.
- Pricing: $20 per user per major version; upgrades $15; minor and patch updates free; up to 5 Macs per license; licenses never expire and work offline; 60-day free trial, then containers run 15 minutes at a time without a license.

## Product
- [Oxcart home](https://oxcart.cc/): performance, agents, security, networking and pricing on one page.
- [Download](https://oxcart.cc/download/): the notarized DMG and what setup does.
- [Buy](https://oxcart.cc/buy/): $20 per user per major version.
- [Full fact sheet for language models](https://oxcart.cc/llms-full.txt): every number with its method and caveats.

## Compare
- [Mac container apps compared (2026): Oxcart, Docker Desktop, OrbStack, Colima, Podman, Rancher](https://oxcart.cc/compare/): Every major way to run Docker containers on an Apple silicon Mac, side by side: benchmarks, price, licensing, Kubernetes and agent support, with sources.
- [Best Docker Desktop alternatives for Mac (2026), benchmarked](https://oxcart.cc/compare/docker-desktop-alternatives-mac/): The Docker Desktop alternatives for Apple silicon Macs in 2026: Oxcart, OrbStack, Colima, Podman Desktop and Rancher Desktop, with measured speed, price and trade-offs.
- [Oxcart vs Docker Desktop on Mac: benchmarks, price and features](https://oxcart.cc/compare/oxcart-vs-docker-desktop/): On the same Apple silicon Mac, Oxcart ran docker run in 42 ms to Docker Desktop’s 143 ms and idled in less than half the memory with no containers. $20 per major version, not a subscription.
- [Oxcart vs OrbStack: benchmarks and differences (2026)](https://oxcart.cc/compare/oxcart-vs-orbstack/): Oxcart and OrbStack on the same Apple silicon Mac: Oxcart measured 5× faster at docker run, 23× at API stop and 16× at tearing down 20 containers. Where each one fits.
- [Oxcart vs Colima: a native Mac app or a CLI on Lima](https://oxcart.cc/compare/oxcart-vs-colima/): Colima is a free command-line runtime built on Lima; Oxcart is a native Mac app with its own engine, an MCP server for coding agents and TLS on the container network path.
- [Oxcart vs Podman Desktop on Mac](https://oxcart.cc/compare/oxcart-vs-podman-desktop/): Podman Desktop is a free, cross-platform GUI for Podman; Oxcart is a Mac-only native app that runs the real docker CLI, Compose and Buildx with a Docker-compatible engine.
- [Oxcart vs Rancher Desktop on Mac](https://oxcart.cc/compare/oxcart-vs-rancher-desktop/): Rancher Desktop bundles k3s Kubernetes for Mac, Windows and Linux; Oxcart is a Mac-native Docker-compatible app built for fast container lifecycles and coding agents.
- [Container and virtualization tools for Mac, Linux and Windows (2026)](https://oxcart.cc/compare/container-tools-mac-linux-windows/): Which container runtime or virtualization platform to use on macOS, Linux and Windows in 2026: Docker Engine, WSL 2, Podman, Docker Desktop, Oxcart, UTM, Parallels and more.
- [Memory and CPU use of Docker apps on macOS, measured](https://oxcart.cc/compare/resource-use/): Idle memory, CPU cost of docker stats and memory per container for Oxcart, OrbStack and Docker Desktop on one Apple silicon Mac, with the method and how to measure your own.
- [Oxcart vs Apple container: Docker-compatible app or Apple’s container CLI](https://oxcart.cc/compare/oxcart-vs-apple-container/): Apple’s open-source container CLI runs each Linux container in its own lightweight virtual machine on macOS 26. Oxcart runs the docker CLI, Compose and Buildx you already use.
- [Switch from Docker Desktop or OrbStack to Oxcart](https://oxcart.cc/compare/switch-to-oxcart/): Move from Docker Desktop or OrbStack to Oxcart in minutes: contexts, images, volumes and Compose projects, and how to switch back. Nothing is replaced without asking.

## Guides
- [Guides: containers, Kubernetes, cloud and coding agents on a Mac](https://oxcart.cc/guides/): Practical guides for running containers on an Apple silicon Mac: Compose, Kubernetes tooling, AWS, Azure and Google Cloud local development, networking and AI coding agents.
- [Docker on macOS 27: how to run containers on Apple silicon in 2026](https://oxcart.cc/guides/docker-on-macos-27/): How to run Docker containers on macOS 27 with Apple silicon: your options, installing Oxcart, the docker CLI and Compose, amd64 images through Rosetta, and first commands.
- [Docker for AI coding agents: an MCP server for Claude Code, Codex and Cursor](https://oxcart.cc/guides/docker-for-ai-coding-agents/): Give Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or Copilot a local MCP server for your containers: 13 tools, read-only by default, crash diagnosis in 159 tokens instead of 2,014.
- [Kubernetes on a Mac in 2026: kubectl, k9s and local clusters](https://oxcart.cc/guides/kubernetes-on-mac/): How to work with Kubernetes on an Apple silicon Mac: which local cluster tools need what, using kubectl and k9s against local and cloud clusters, and building images for them.
- [Develop for AWS ECS, EKS, Fargate and Lambda locally on a Mac](https://oxcart.cc/guides/aws-ecs-eks-fargate-local/): Run and test AWS container workloads on an Apple silicon Mac: ECS and Fargate task containers with Compose, Lambda container images, LocalStack, and arm64 vs amd64 images.
- [Develop for Azure Container Apps and AKS locally on a Mac](https://oxcart.cc/guides/azure-container-apps-aks-local/): Build and test Azure Container Apps and AKS workloads on an Apple silicon Mac: run the containers with Compose, Azurite for storage, and push to Azure Container Registry.
- [Run and test Google Cloud Run containers locally on a Mac](https://oxcart.cc/guides/cloud-run-local/): Test a Cloud Run service on an Apple silicon Mac before you deploy: the PORT contract, building linux/amd64 images, running with Compose, and pushing to Artifact Registry.
- [Docker Compose on Apple silicon: amd64 images, Rosetta and healthchecks](https://oxcart.cc/guides/docker-compose-apple-silicon/): Run Docker Compose stacks on an M-series Mac: arm64 and amd64 images through Rosetta, healthcheck dependencies, up --wait, build caching and ports, with the commands.
- [Container networking on a Mac: ports, VPN, DNS, Little Snitch and TLS](https://oxcart.cc/guides/container-networking-mac/): How container networking works on a Mac and how to fix it: published ports, host.docker.internal, VPN and split DNS, Little Snitch and LuLu, and an encrypted network path.
- [Dev Containers and Testcontainers on a Mac](https://oxcart.cc/guides/dev-containers-testcontainers-mac/): Run VS Code Dev Containers and Testcontainers on an Apple silicon Mac: the Docker socket, the Docker context, API speed for test suites, and the settings that matter.