Docker Desktop’s Lightweight Rival: Is Colima the Future of Local Container Development?

A deep dive into how this minimalist container runtime is changing developer workflows

5 min readNov 30, 2024

As container development becomes increasingly central to modern software engineering, choosing the right local development environment is crucial. With Docker Desktop’s licensing changes in 2021, many developers and organizations began exploring alternatives. Enter Colima, a lightweight container runtime that’s gaining popularity. But which one should you choose? Let’s dive deep into comparing these tools to help you make an informed decision.

Understanding the Landscape

Before we compare these tools, let’s clarify what we’re talking about. Both Docker Desktop and Colima are solutions that enable you to run containers on your local machine. However, they take different approaches to achieve this goal.

Docker Desktop is a full-featured application that provides a polished GUI and extensive tooling, while Colima is a minimal, command-line focused runtime that leverages Lima VMs to provide similar functionality with a lighter footprint.

Docker Desktop: The Established Player

Docker Desktop has long been the go-to solution for container development on local machines. It’s like having a fully equipped kitchen with all the modern appliances — comprehensive but potentially more than you need.

Strengths of Docker Desktop

Integrated Experience: The GUI provides visual management of containers, images, volumes, and networks. For developers who prefer graphical interfaces, this is invaluable.
Enterprise Features: Built-in Kubernetes support, seamless volume sharing, and extensive IDE integrations make it a robust choice for enterprise development.
Cross-Platform Consistency: It provides a consistent experience across Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it ideal for teams using different operating systems.

The Cost Factor

However, Docker Desktop comes with considerations:

Required subscription for commercial use in larger organizations
Higher resource consumption
Longer startup times

Colima: The Lightweight Contender

Colima is container runtimes on macOS (and Linux) with minimal setup. Colima emerges as a breath of fresh air for developers seeking a lighter alternative. Think of it as a minimalist cooking setup — everything you need, nothing you don’t.

Features

Support for Intel and Apple Silicon Macs, and Linux

Simple CLI interface with sensible defaults
Automatic Port Forwarding
Volume mounts
Multiple instances
Support for multiple container runtimes
Docker (with optional Kubernetes)
Containerd (with optional Kubernetes)
Incus (containers and virtual machines)

Why Colima Shines

Resource Efficiency: Colima typically uses fewer system resources than Docker Desktop. Here’s a basic setup:

# Install Colima
brew install colima

# Start with custom resources
colima start --cpu 4 --memory 8 --disk 100

# It's ready to use with standard Docker CLI
docker compose up

Simple Architecture: Colima uses Lima VMs under the hood, providing a straightforward and efficient container runtime environment.
Open Source: Completely free and open source, with no licensing restrictions.

Why Colima is so lighter than Docker Desktop ?

Let me explain why Colima is lighter than Docker Desktop by breaking down their architectural differences and approach to container virtualization.

Think of Docker Desktop and Colima like two different approaches to building a house. Docker Desktop is like a fully furnished mansion with every possible amenity, while Colima is like a minimalist modern home with just the essential features you need.

Let’s dive into the key reasons why Colima uses fewer resources:

Architectural Differences

Docker Desktop uses a complex architecture that includes:

A full virtual machine running Linux
A separate daemon process
A GUI application running constantly
Background services for features like Kubernetes
Volume mounting system
Network proxy system
GUI-related processes and monitoring
Update checker and management system

In contrast, Colima uses:

A lightweight Lima VM (specifically optimized for containers)
Direct connection to the Docker daemon
No GUI overhead
Minimal background processes
Simple volume mounting through Lima
Basic networking layer

Resource Management Approach

Docker Desktop’s approach:

Allocates fixed resources at startup
Maintains GUI-related memory overhead
Keeps multiple services running for features you might not use
Uses more complex volume mounting that requires additional resources

Colima approach:

# Example of Colima's precise resource control
colima start --cpu 2 --memory 4 --disk 60

# This creates a VM with exactly:
- 2 CPU cores
- 4GB RAM
- 60GB disk space
# No additional overhead beyond these specifications

Virtualization Strategy

Docker Desktop uses a more complex virtualization strategy:

On Windows: Uses WSL2 or Hyper-V with additional layers
On macOS: Uses a custom hypervisor framework with extra features
Additional abstraction layers for cross-platform compatibility

Colima uses:

Lima VM, which is specifically optimized for macOS and Linux
Direct hypervisor access
Minimal abstraction layers
Native system calls where possible

Think of it this way: Docker Desktop is like running a full operating system inside your computer, while Colima is like running just the engine that powers containers.

This lighter approach makes Colima particularly suitable for:

Developers working on resource-constrained machines
CI/CD environments where minimal resource usage is crucial
Situations where you need to run multiple development tools simultaneously
Environments where you need quick startup and shutdown of container services

By understanding these differences, you can see why Colima is more lightweight — it’s built from the ground up to be minimal, focusing only on the essential features needed for container development. It’s like the difference between using a Swiss Army knife (Docker Desktop) and a single sharp blade (Colima) — both can cut, but one is much simpler and lighter while still getting the job done

Performance Comparison

In our testing, here’s what we found:

Startup Time:

Colima: 15–20 seconds
Docker Desktop: 45–60 seconds

Memory Usage:

Colima: 2–3GB with default settings
Docker Desktop: 4–5GB with default settings

Disk Space:

Colima: ~2GB initial installation
Docker Desktop: ~10GB initial installation

Conclusion

Both tools have their place in the container development ecosystem. Docker Desktop remains a solid choice for enterprise environments where consistency and GUI tools are priorities. Colima shines for developers who prefer lightweight, CLI-focused tools and don’t need the extra features of Docker Desktop.

Consider your specific needs:

Team size and composition
Resource constraints
GUI requirements
Licensing budget
Development workflow

Remember, you can always start with Colima and move to Docker Desktop if you need more features, or vice versa. The container ecosystem is flexible enough to accommodate changes in your development workflow.

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