Where to Find Apple Container Usage Examples: Complete Guide
Apple container usage examples are located in the examples/ and docs/tutorials/ directories of the apple/container repository, featuring hands-on workflows for VS Code remote development and basic container lifecycle management.
The apple/container repository provides a native macOS containerization solution that bridges Swift development with Linux environments. If you are looking for practical Apple container usage examples, the project ships with comprehensive tutorials and working code samples that demonstrate how to create, run, and manage container machines and images on macOS.
Exploring the Example Repository Structure
The repository organizes learning resources into two primary locations: the examples/ directory for specific use cases and the docs/tutorials/ path for guided introductions.
VS Code Remote Development Workflow
The examples/container-machine-vscode/ directory contains a complete end-to-end workflow for developing Linux-based Swift applications inside a container machine using VS Code. This example includes:
examples/container-machine-vscode/README.md: Step-by-step instructions for SSH setup, image building, and debuggingexamples/container-machine-vscode/Dockerfile: A minimal Ubuntu-based machine image configuration
Getting Started Tutorial
The docs/tutorials/start-here.md file provides an introductory walkthrough covering the entire container lifecycle: starting the service, building a Python web-server image, running containers, and publishing to registries.
Understanding the Container Architecture
Before running the examples, it helps to understand the three-layer architecture implemented in the source code.
Container Service
The Container Service is a background daemon that manages the VM-based Linux kernel, networking, and DNS. According to docs/tutorials/start-here.md, you control this service with container system start and container system stop.
Container Builder
The Container Builder uses a lightweight build-kit shim (ghcr.io/apple/container-builder-shim/builder:0.0.3) to compile Dockerfiles into OCI images. The builder runs as its own container when you execute container build.
Container Machines
Container Machines are persistent VM-backed Linux environments created with container machine create. As documented in docs/container-machine.md, these machines expose virtual network interfaces and are reachable via embedded DNS services (e.g., ubuntu.machine.test).
Running the VS Code Container Machine Example
The examples/container-machine-vscode example demonstrates the full stack. First, build the Ubuntu image referenced in the Dockerfile:
container build -t ubuntu-machine:latest -f examples/container-machine-vscode/Dockerfile .
Then create a persistent machine and set it as the default:
container machine create --set-default --name ubuntu ubuntu-machine:latest
After configuring your macOS SSH settings (~/.ssh/config) as described in the README, connect via SSH to develop inside VS Code using the Remote-SSH extension. Clean up with container machine stop and container machine rm.
Complete Workflow: From System Start to Web Server
The docs/tutorials/start-here.md provides ready-to-copy commands for a complete workflow. Start the daemon:
container system start
Build a simple Python web-server image:
cat > Dockerfile <<'EOF'
FROM docker.io/python:alpine
WORKDIR /content
RUN apk add curl
RUN echo '<!DOCTYPE html><html><head><title>Hello</title></head><body><h1>Hello, world!</h1></body></html>' > index.html
CMD ["python3","-m","http.server","80","--bind","0.0.0.0"]
EOF
container build --tag web-test --file Dockerfile .
Run the image in detached mode:
container run --name my-web-server --detach --rm web-test
Optionally configure DNS access:
sudo container system dns create test
open http://my-web-server.test
Key Reference Documentation
When extending these examples, consult docs/command-reference.md for detailed information on every container sub-command, including container machine create, container build, and container run. For architectural details, see docs/container-machine.md and the project's Package.swift for the Swift package definition.
Summary
- Apple container usage examples are primarily located in
examples/container-machine-vscode/anddocs/tutorials/start-here.md - The VS Code example demonstrates persistent Linux development environments via
container machine create - The beginner tutorial covers the full lifecycle from
container system startthrough image publishing - Container machines use embedded DNS (e.g.,
*.machine.test) for networking - The builder shim runs at
ghcr.io/apple/container-builder-shim/builder:0.0.3
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are the Apple container examples located in the repository?
The primary examples are found in examples/container-machine-vscode/ for VS Code integration and docs/tutorials/start-here.md for basic tutorials. The command reference at docs/command-reference.md supports these examples with detailed CLI documentation.
How do I create a persistent Linux development environment with Apple Container?
Use container machine create --set-default --name ubuntu ubuntu-machine:latest after building your image. This creates a VM-backed Linux environment accessible via SSH at ubuntu.machine.test that persists until you run container machine rm.
What is the difference between container run and container machine?
container run executes ephemeral containers similar to Docker, while container machine create provisions persistent VM-backed Linux environments with dedicated networking and DNS entries like ubuntu.machine.test.
How do I start the Apple Container service before running examples?
Execute container system start to initialize the background daemon that manages the VM-based Linux kernel, networking, and DNS services required by all other container operations.
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