# Apple Container Commands: Complete CLI Reference for the apple/container Repository > Explore the apple/container repository's complete CLI reference with over 50 commands for container lifecycle, image management, and more. Master your container workflow. - Repository: [Apple/container](https://github.com/apple/container) - Tags: api-reference - Published: 2026-07-06 --- **The apple/container repository provides a comprehensive Swift-based CLI tool with 50+ commands organized into nine functional categories including container lifecycle, image management, network operations, and system administration.** The `apple/container` repository is Apple's open-source container management tool built with Swift and the [swift-argument-parser](https://github.com/apple/swift-argument-parser) library. This command-line interface provides extensive functionality for running containers, managing images, configuring networks, and controlling the container runtime daemon. Understanding the available apple container commands helps developers effectively orchestrate containerized workloads across macOS and Linux environments. ## Container Lifecycle Commands The apple container CLI provides comprehensive control over container instances through the `container` subcommand family. Each command is implemented as a separate struct conforming to `AsyncLoggableCommand` in the `Sources/ContainerCommands/Container/` directory. **Core container operations include:** - `run` - Create and start a container (implemented in [`ContainerRun.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/ContainerRun.swift)) - `create` - Create a container without starting it ([`ContainerCreate.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/ContainerCreate.swift)) - `start` - Start one or more stopped containers ([`ContainerStart.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/ContainerStart.swift)) - `stop` - Gracefully stop running containers ([`ContainerStop.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/ContainerStop.swift)) - `kill` - Send SIGKILL to containers ([`ContainerKill.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/ContainerKill.swift)) - `delete` (alias `rm`) - Remove containers ([`ContainerDelete.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/ContainerDelete.swift)) - `list` (alias `ls`) - List all containers ([`ContainerList.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/ContainerList.swift)) - `exec` - Run commands in running containers ([`ContainerExec.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/ContainerExec.swift)) - `logs` - Fetch container logs ([`ContainerLogs.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/ContainerLogs.swift)) - `inspect` - Display detailed container information ([`ContainerInspect.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/ContainerInspect.swift)) - `stats` - Show resource usage statistics ([`ContainerStats.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/ContainerStats.swift)) - `prune` - Remove unused containers ([`ContainerPrune.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/ContainerPrune.swift)) - `export` - Export container filesystems ([`ContainerExport.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/ContainerExport.swift)) - `copy` (alias `cp`) - Copy files between containers and the local filesystem ([`ContainerCopy.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/ContainerCopy.swift)) ## Image Management Commands Image operations are grouped under the `container image` subcommand namespace, with implementations located in `Sources/ContainerCommands/Image/`. These commands support OCI-compliant image handling. **Available image commands:** - `list` (alias `ls`) - List local images ([`ImageList.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/ImageList.swift)) - `pull` - Download images from registries ([`ImagePull.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/ImagePull.swift)) - `push` - Upload images to registries ([`ImagePush.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/ImagePush.swift)) - `save` - Save images to tar archives ([`ImageSave.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/ImageSave.swift)) - `load` - Load images from tar archives ([`ImageLoad.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/ImageLoad.swift)) - `tag` - Tag images with new references ([`ImageTag.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/ImageTag.swift)) - `inspect` - Display image metadata ([`ImageInspect.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/ImageInspect.swift)) - `delete` (alias `rm`) - Remove images ([`ImageDelete.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/ImageDelete.swift)) - `prune` - Remove unused images ([`ImagePrune.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/ImagePrune.swift)) ## Network and Volume Management Commands The CLI provides infrastructure management capabilities for networking and persistent storage. **Network commands** (`Sources/ContainerCommands/Network/`): - `create` - Create networks ([`NetworkCreate.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/NetworkCreate.swift)) - `delete` (alias `rm`) - Remove networks ([`NetworkDelete.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/NetworkDelete.swift)) - `list` (alias `ls`) - List networks ([`NetworkList.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/NetworkList.swift)) - `inspect` - Display network details ([`NetworkInspect.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/NetworkInspect.swift)) - `prune` - Remove unused networks ([`NetworkPrune.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/NetworkPrune.swift)) **Volume commands** (`Sources/ContainerCommands/Volume/`): - `create` - Create volumes ([`VolumeCreate.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/VolumeCreate.swift)) - `delete` (alias `rm`) - Remove volumes ([`VolumeDelete.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/VolumeDelete.swift)) - `list` (alias `ls`) - List volumes ([`VolumeList.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/VolumeList.swift)) - `inspect` - Display volume details ([`VolumeInspect.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/VolumeInspect.swift)) - `prune` - Remove unused volumes ([`VolumePrune.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/VolumePrune.swift)) ## Machine and System Commands The tool manages virtual machine backends and daemon-level configuration through specialized command groups. **Machine (VM) commands** (`Sources/ContainerCommands/Machine/`): - `create` - Create VM instances ([`MachineCreate.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/MachineCreate.swift)) - `run` - Run commands inside VMs ([`MachineRun.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/MachineRun.swift)) - `list` (alias `ls`) - List VMs ([`MachineList.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/MachineList.swift)) - `inspect` - Display VM details ([`MachineInspect.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/MachineInspect.swift)) - `set` - Configure VM properties ([`MachineSet.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/MachineSet.swift)) - `set-default` - Set default VM ([`MachineSetDefault.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/MachineSetDefault.swift)) - `logs` - Fetch VM logs ([`MachineLogs.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/MachineLogs.swift)) - `stop` - Stop VMs ([`MachineStop.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/MachineStop.swift)) - `delete` (alias `rm`) - Remove VMs ([`MachineDelete.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/MachineDelete.swift)) **System commands** (`Sources/ContainerCommands/System/`): - `start` - Start the container daemon ([`SystemStart.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/SystemStart.swift)) - `stop` - Stop the container daemon ([`SystemStop.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/SystemStop.swift)) - `status` - Check daemon status ([`SystemStatus.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/SystemStatus.swift)) - `version` - Display version information ([`SystemVersion.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/SystemVersion.swift)) - `logs` - Fetch daemon logs ([`SystemLogs.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/SystemLogs.swift)) - `df` - Show disk usage ([`SystemDF.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/SystemDF.swift)) - `property list` - List system properties ([`SystemProperty.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/SystemProperty.swift)) - `kernel set` - Set custom kernels ([`SystemKernel.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/SystemKernel.swift)) - `dns create/delete/list` - Manage DNS configuration ([`SystemDNS.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/SystemDNS.swift)) ## Registry and Builder Commands Specialized commands handle authentication and image building infrastructure. **Registry authentication** (`Sources/ContainerCommands/Registry/`): - `login` - Authenticate with registries ([`RegistryLogin.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/RegistryLogin.swift)) - `logout` - Remove registry credentials ([`RegistryLogout.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/RegistryLogout.swift)) - `list` - List authenticated registries ([`RegistryList.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/RegistryList.swift)) **Builder control** (`Sources/ContainerCommands/Builder/`): - `start` - Start the build engine ([`BuilderStart.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/BuilderStart.swift)) - `status` - Check builder status ([`BuilderStatus.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/BuilderStatus.swift)) - `stop` - Stop the build engine ([`BuilderStop.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/BuilderStop.swift)) - `delete` (alias `rm`) - Remove builder instances ([`BuilderDelete.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/BuilderDelete.swift)) ## Command Architecture and Implementation All apple container commands are implemented as Swift structs conforming to the `AsyncLoggableCommand` protocol, enabling asynchronous execution with integrated logging. The `Application` type in [`Sources/ContainerCommands/Application.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/Sources/ContainerCommands/Application.swift) discovers these structs at startup and registers them via `CommandConfiguration`. **Key architectural patterns:** - **Modular definitions** - Each command resides in its own file under `Sources/ContainerCommands/` with clear naming conventions (e.g., [`ContainerRun.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/ContainerRun.swift), [`ImagePull.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/ImagePull.swift)) - **Shared flag groups** - Common options are defined in `Sources/ContainerCommands/Flags/` and reused across commands via `@OptionGroup`, including `processFlags`, `resourceFlags`, `managementFlags`, `registryFlags`, and `progressFlags` - **Async execution** - Commands leverage Swift concurrency for non-blocking container API calls while maintaining progress-bar UI feedback - **Error translation** - Internal errors convert to `ContainerizationError` or `ArgumentParser.ExitCode` values for consistent CLI exit statuses ## Usage Examples Run an interactive container with volume mounting: ```bash container run -it -v $(pwd):/workspace ubuntu:latest /bin/bash ``` Build and tag an image from the current directory: ```bash container build -t myapp:latest . ``` Create a custom network and attach a container: ```bash container network create mynet container run --network mynet -p 8080:80 nginx:latest ``` Manage the container system daemon: ```bash container system start container system status ``` Configure a custom kernel for the runtime: ```bash container system kernel set --arch arm64 --binary /path/to/vmlinuz ``` Authenticate with a private registry: ```bash container registry login myregistry.example.com ``` ## Summary - The apple/container repository provides 50+ CLI commands organized into nine functional categories: container lifecycle, image management, network operations, volume operations, machine handling, builder control, registry authentication, system administration, and utilities. - Each command is implemented as a Swift struct in `Sources/ContainerCommands/` conforming to `AsyncLoggableCommand`, with automatic registration managed by [`Application.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/Application.swift). - Shared flag definitions in `Sources/ContainerCommands/Flags/` ensure consistent option handling across related commands. - The CLI supports both standard Docker-compatible workflows (run, build, pull, push) and Apple-specific extensions (machine management, kernel configuration, DNS management). ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How do I list all available commands in the apple/container CLI? Run `container --help` or `container help` to display the complete command tree. The [`HelpCommand.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/HelpCommand.swift) file implements this functionality, and the `Application` struct in [`Sources/ContainerCommands/Application.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/Sources/ContainerCommands/Application.swift) automatically discovers all registered subcommands at runtime, including aliases like `ls` for `list` and `rm` for `delete`. ### What is the difference between `container stop` and `container kill`? The `stop` command (implemented in [`ContainerStop.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/ContainerStop.swift)) sends a graceful shutdown signal (SIGTERM) and waits for the container to exit, while `kill` (implemented in [`ContainerKill.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/ContainerKill.swift)) immediately sends SIGTERM or a specified signal to force termination without cleanup time. Use `stop` for graceful shutdowns and `kill` for unresponsive processes. ### Where are the command implementations located in the source code? Command implementations reside in `Sources/ContainerCommands/` with subdirectories for each functional area: `Container/` for runtime commands, `Image/` for image management, `Network/` and `Volume/` for infrastructure, `Machine/` for VM operations, `System/` for daemon control, `Builder/` for image building, and `Registry/` for authentication. The entry point is [`Sources/CLI/ContainerCLI.swift`](https://github.com/apple/container/blob/main/Sources/CLI/ContainerCLI.swift). ### How does the CLI handle asynchronous operations? All commands conform to `AsyncLoggableCommand`, defined in the codebase, which allows them to execute asynchronous container API calls while automatically handling logging and progress-bar UI. This architecture enables concurrent operations like `pull` and `push` to display real-time progress without blocking the terminal.