
# install (macOS + Linux)
# option 1: download from GitHub releases
# https://github.com/smol-machines/smolvm/releases
# option 2: install script
curl -sSL https://smolmachines.com/install.sh | bash# run a command in an ephemeral VM (cleaned up after exit)
smolvm machine run --net --image alpine -- echo "hello from a microVM"
# interactive shell
smolvm machine run --net -it --image alpine
# persistent machine (survives stop/start)
smolvm machine create --net myvm
smolvm machine start --name myvm
smolvm machine exec --name myvm -- apk add sl
smolvm machine exec --name myvm -it -- /bin/sh
# try: sl, ls, uname -a — type 'exit' to leave
smolvm machine stop --name myvm
# mount host directories (explicit — host is protected by default)
smolvm machine create --net -v ./src:/workspace myvm
# pack - portable, executable virtual machine
smolvm pack create --image python:3.12-alpine -o ./my-pythonvm
./my-pythonvm run -- python3 -c "print('hello from a packed VM')"
# uninstall
curl -sSL https://smolmachines.com/install.sh | bash -s -- --uninstallsandbox untrusted code — run untrusted programs in a hardware-isolated VM. Host filesystem, network, and credentials are separated by a hypervisor boundary.
smolvm machine run --image alpine -- sh -c "pip install sketchy-package"
# runs in its own kernel — can't touch your host filesystem or networkpack into portable executables — turn any workload into a self-contained binary. Doom in a browser, packaged as a microVM:
smolvm pack create --image python:3.12-alpine -o ./my-app
./my-app run -- python3 -c "print('runs anywhere — no dependencies')"use git and ssh without exposing keys — forward your host SSH agent into the VM. Private keys never enter the guest — the hypervisor enforces this. Requires an SSH agent running on your host (ssh-add -l to check).
smolvm machine run --ssh-agent --net --image alpine -- ssh-add -l
# lists your host keys, but they can't be extracted from inside the VM
smolvm machine exec --name myvm -- git clone [email protected]:org/private-repo.gitdeclare environments with a smolfile — reproducible VM config in a simple TOML file.
# Smolfile
# image = "python:3.12-alpine"
# net = true
# [dev]
# init = ["pip install -r requirements.txt"]
# volumes = ["./src:/app"]
# [auth]
# ssh_agent = true
smolvm machine create myvm -s Smolfile
smolvm machine start --name myvmMore examples: python · node · doom
VMs that feel like a CLI tool. Boot in under 200ms, configure with a Smolfile, ship as a single executable. No daemon, no YAML, no cloud account.
Each workload gets real hardware isolation — its own kernel on Hypervisor.framework (macOS) or KVM (Linux). Pack it into a .smolmachine and it runs anywhere the host architecture matches, with zero dependencies.
| smolvm | Containers | Colima | QEMU | Firecracker | Kata | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isolation | VM per workload | Namespace (shared kernel) | Namespace (1 VM) | Separate VM | Separate VM | VM per container |
| Boot time | <200ms | ~100ms | ~seconds | ~15-30s | <125ms | ~500ms |
| Architecture | Library (libkrun) | Daemon | Daemon (in VM) | Process | Process | Runtime stack |
| Per-workload VMs | Yes | No | No (shared) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| macOS native | Yes | Via Docker VM | Yes (krunkit) | Yes | No | No |
| Embeddable SDK | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| Portable artifacts | .smolmachine | Images (need daemon) | No | No | No | No |
Sources: container isolation · containerd benchmark · QEMU boot time · Firecracker · Kata Containers · Kata boot time · Firecracker requires KVM · Kata macOS support
libkrun VMM + Hypervisor.framework (macOS) / KVM (Linux) + crun container runtime. No daemon process — the VMM is a library linked into the smolvm binary.
| host | guest | requirements |
|---|---|---|
| macOS Apple Silicon | arm64 Linux | macOS 11+ |
| macOS Intel | x86_64 Linux | macOS 11+ (untested) |
| Linux x86_64 | x86_64 Linux | KVM (/dev/kvm) |
| Linux aarch64 | aarch64 Linux | KVM (/dev/kvm) |
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