vfkit ☆

« Back to VersTracker

Description:
Command-line hypervisor using Apple's Virtualization Framework

Type: Formula | Tracked Since: Dec 28, 2025

Links: Homepage | formulae.brew.sh

Category: Developer tools

Tags: virtualization hypervisor macos virtual-machines developer-tools

Install: brew install vfkit

About:
Vfkit is a command-line tool that leverages Apple's native Virtualization Framework to create and manage lightweight virtual machines on macOS. It provides a simple interface for running Linux distributions with hardware-accelerated performance, utilizing virtio for optimized I/O. The tool is designed for developers who need fast, native-speed VMs without the overhead of traditional hypervisors.

Key Features:

Native macOS integration using Apple's Virtualization Framework
Hardware-accelerated performance with Apple Silicon support
Simple CLI for VM lifecycle management
virtio-based devices for optimal I/O performance

Use Cases:

Running Linux development environments on macOS
Testing cross-platform applications natively
Container development with lightweight VMs

Alternatives:

UTM – GUI-focused virtual machine manager with broader architecture support
lima – Linux VMs with automatic file system and port forwarding
Docker Desktop – Container-focused with built-in Kubernetes, heavier resource usage

Version History

Detected	Version	Rev	Change	Commit
Sep 11, 2025 10:26pm		0	VERSION_BUMP	bd50a413