Where to Find Documentation for Apple/Container Commands: The Complete Reference

The official documentation for apple/container commands is located in the repository's docs/ directory, with the master reference at docs/command-reference.md and supplementary guides covering tutorials, system configuration, and technical architecture.

The apple/container repository provides a container runtime and CLI tool for macOS. Locating comprehensive documentation for apple/container commands requires knowing where the official reference materials live within the source tree, from high-level guides to implementation-specific source files.

Official Documentation Locations

The project maintains human-readable documentation in the top-level docs/ folder. These markdown files render on GitHub and provide the definitive source for command usage and configuration.

Command Reference Guide

The file docs/command-reference.md serves as the master index for every container sub-command. It exhaustively lists available flags, arguments, and usage patterns for operations including run, build, list, and machine.

Quick Start Tutorial

New users should begin with docs/tutorials/start-here.md. This guide walks through CLI installation, creating your first container machine, and executing a simple containerized workload.

System Configuration

For daemon settings, DNS configuration, and kernel parameters, consult docs/container-system-config.md. This document covers the system-level requirements that support the container runtime.

Technical Architecture

Understand the runtime layers by reading docs/technical-overview.md. It explains the relationship between the Container runtime, builder, and machine management components.

Source Code as Documentation

Because the CLI is built from the same repository, implementation details serve as authoritative secondary documentation. Each command's logic resides in Sources/ContainerCommands/. For example, the container run implementation is found in Sources/ContainerCommands/Run/RunCommand.swift. Examining these Swift files reveals exact parameter handling and API calls to the backend service located in Sources/Services/ContainerAPIService/.

Common Command Examples

The following examples demonstrate frequently used apple/container commands as documented in the reference guide.

Run an interactive container:

container run -it ubuntu:latest /bin/bash

The -i flag keeps STDIN open while -t allocates a TTY. The image is pulled automatically if not present locally.

Run a detached web server with port mapping:

container run -d --name web -p 8080:80 nginx:latest

The -d flag detaches the process, --name assigns a human-readable identifier, and -p publishes host port 8080 to container port 80.

Build a local image:

container build -t myapp:latest .

This builds the Dockerfile in the current directory and tags the result as myapp:latest.

List running containers:

container list

Append --format json for machine-readable output.

Inspect container metadata:

container inspect mycontainer

Manage container machines:

container machine create alpine:3.22 --name dev-machine
container machine run

The machine create command initializes a new VM, while machine run opens a shell in the default machine.

Summary

• The primary documentation for apple/container commands lives in docs/command-reference.md within the repository root.
• Beginner tutorials and installation guides are available in docs/tutorials/start-here.md.
• System-level configuration details are documented in docs/container-system-config.md.
• Implementation details can be verified by examining Swift source files in Sources/ContainerCommands/.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the official command reference for apple/container?

The official command reference is located at docs/command-reference.md in the repository root. This file contains exhaustive documentation for every sub-command, flag, and option available in the CLI, organized by command group.

How do I find examples for common container operations?

Practical examples are provided in docs/tutorials/start-here.md and within the command reference. These include common operations like running interactive shells, detached servers, building images from Dockerfiles, and managing container machines.

Can I read the source code to understand how commands work?

Yes. Each CLI command is implemented in Swift files under Sources/ContainerCommands/. For instance, the run command logic is in Sources/ContainerCommands/Run/RunCommand.swift, which shows exactly how parameters are parsed and sent to the container API service.

What file contains system configuration documentation?

System-level documentation regarding daemon configuration, DNS settings, and kernel parameters is located in docs/container-system-config.md. This file explains how to configure the system daemon that supports the container runtime.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}