Top Related Projects
Vagrant is a tool for building and distributing development environments.
:warning: This repository is deprecated and will be archived (Docker CE itself is NOT deprecated) see the https://github.com/docker/docker-ce/blob/master/README.md :warning:
Little helper to run CNCF's k3s in Docker
Kubernetes IN Docker - local clusters for testing Kubernetes
Linux virtual machines, with a focus on running containers
Quick Overview
Multipass is an open-source tool developed by Canonical that allows users to quickly create, manage, and use Ubuntu virtual machines on various operating systems. It provides a lightweight, easy-to-use solution for developers and system administrators to set up isolated environments for testing, development, and experimentation.
Pros
- Cross-platform compatibility (Windows, macOS, and Linux)
- Simple and intuitive command-line interface
- Seamless integration with Ubuntu images and packages
- Efficient resource management and quick VM creation
Cons
- Limited to Ubuntu-based virtual machines
- May require more system resources compared to container-based solutions
- Less flexibility in customization compared to full-fledged hypervisors
- Learning curve for users unfamiliar with command-line tools
Getting Started
To get started with Multipass, follow these steps:
-
Install Multipass from the official website: https://multipass.run/
-
Launch a new Ubuntu VM:
multipass launch --name my-vm
- Access the VM shell:
multipass shell my-vm
- List all running VMs:
multipass list
- Stop and delete a VM:
multipass stop my-vm
multipass delete my-vm
multipass purge
For more advanced usage and configuration options, refer to the official Multipass documentation: https://multipass.run/docs
Competitor Comparisons
Vagrant is a tool for building and distributing development environments.
Pros of Vagrant
- Supports multiple providers (VirtualBox, VMware, Hyper-V, etc.)
- More extensive configuration options and customization
- Larger ecosystem with a wide range of pre-built boxes
Cons of Vagrant
- Steeper learning curve for beginners
- Requires more system resources due to full VM virtualization
- Slower startup times compared to lightweight alternatives
Code Comparison
Multipass:
multipass launch ubuntu
multipass shell ubuntu
Vagrant:
Vagrant.configure("2") do |config|
config.vm.box = "ubuntu/bionic64"
config.vm.provision "shell", inline: "echo Hello, World!"
end
Key Differences
- Multipass focuses on quick, lightweight Ubuntu VMs, while Vagrant offers more flexibility for various OS and configurations
- Vagrant uses a Vagrantfile for configuration, whereas Multipass relies on command-line options
- Multipass is designed specifically for Ubuntu, while Vagrant supports a wide range of operating systems
Use Cases
- Multipass: Ideal for quick Ubuntu development environments and testing
- Vagrant: Better suited for complex, multi-machine setups and cross-platform development
Community and Ecosystem
- Vagrant has a larger community and more extensive plugin ecosystem
- Multipass is newer but growing, with strong backing from Canonical
:warning: This repository is deprecated and will be archived (Docker CE itself is NOT deprecated) see the https://github.com/docker/docker-ce/blob/master/README.md :warning:
Pros of Docker CE
- Widely adopted containerization platform with extensive ecosystem
- Supports multiple operating systems and cloud platforms
- Lightweight and efficient resource utilization
Cons of Docker CE
- More complex setup and configuration compared to Multipass
- Requires more system resources for running containers
- Potential security concerns due to shared kernel with host
Code Comparison
Multipass:
multipass launch --name myvm
multipass shell myvm
Docker CE:
docker run -it --name mycontainer ubuntu
docker exec -it mycontainer /bin/bash
Summary
Multipass and Docker CE are both tools for creating and managing virtualized environments, but they serve different purposes. Multipass focuses on quickly spinning up lightweight Ubuntu VMs, while Docker CE is a comprehensive containerization platform. Multipass is simpler to use and provides full VM isolation, making it ideal for development and testing. Docker CE offers greater flexibility and portability for application deployment across various environments. The choice between the two depends on specific use cases and requirements.
Little helper to run CNCF's k3s in Docker
Pros of k3d
- Lightweight and focused specifically on Kubernetes development
- Faster setup and teardown of clusters
- Supports multi-node clusters and custom images
Cons of k3d
- Limited to container-based virtualization
- Less flexibility for general-purpose development environments
- Requires Docker to be installed and running
Code Comparison
k3d:
k3d cluster create mycluster
k3d kubeconfig get mycluster > kubeconfig
export KUBECONFIG=./kubeconfig
kubectl get nodes
Multipass:
multipass launch --name k8s-node
multipass exec k8s-node -- sudo snap install microk8s --classic
multipass exec k8s-node -- sudo microk8s status --wait-ready
multipass exec k8s-node -- sudo microk8s kubectl get nodes
Summary
k3d is a specialized tool for Kubernetes development, offering quick cluster creation and management. It's ideal for developers focused on Kubernetes workloads but requires Docker and has a narrower scope.
Multipass provides a more versatile virtual machine solution, supporting various Linux distributions and use cases beyond Kubernetes. It offers greater flexibility but may require more setup time for specific development environments.
The choice between k3d and Multipass depends on the specific needs of the project and the developer's preference for container-based or VM-based solutions.
Kubernetes IN Docker - local clusters for testing Kubernetes
Pros of kind
- Specifically designed for Kubernetes development and testing
- Faster cluster creation and teardown compared to Multipass
- Supports multi-node clusters out of the box
Cons of kind
- Limited to running Kubernetes environments only
- Requires Docker to be installed and running on the host system
- Less flexible for general-purpose VM management
Code Comparison
kind:
kind: Cluster
apiVersion: kind.x-k8s.io/v1alpha4
nodes:
- role: control-plane
- role: worker
Multipass:
multipass launch -n my-instance
multipass exec my-instance -- sudo apt-get update
multipass exec my-instance -- sudo apt-get install -y docker.io
Key Differences
- Purpose: kind is focused on Kubernetes development, while Multipass is a general-purpose VM manager.
- Technology: kind uses Docker containers to simulate nodes, Multipass creates lightweight VMs.
- Flexibility: Multipass offers more versatility for various development environments, kind is Kubernetes-specific.
- Resource usage: kind is generally lighter on resources due to its container-based approach.
- Learning curve: kind may be easier for those already familiar with Kubernetes, while Multipass has a gentler learning curve for general VM management.
Both tools have their strengths, and the choice between them depends on the specific use case and development requirements.
Linux virtual machines, with a focus on running containers
Pros of Lima
- Native macOS support with better integration and performance
- More flexible configuration options and customization
- Supports a wider range of Linux distributions
Cons of Lima
- Limited to macOS, not cross-platform like Multipass
- Less mature project with potentially fewer resources and community support
- May require more manual setup and configuration
Code Comparison
Lima configuration example:
images:
- location: "https://cloud-images.ubuntu.com/focal/current/focal-server-cloudimg-amd64.img"
arch: "x86_64"
Multipass launch command:
multipass launch --name myvm ubuntu
Summary
Lima offers more flexibility and native macOS integration, while Multipass provides a simpler, cross-platform solution. Lima's configuration-based approach allows for more customization, but may require more setup. Multipass focuses on ease of use and quick VM deployment across different operating systems. Choose Lima for macOS-specific needs and advanced configurations, or Multipass for a straightforward, cross-platform virtual machine solution.
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What is Multipass?
Multipass is a lightweight VM manager for Linux, Windows and macOS. It's designed for developers who want to spin up a fresh Ubuntu environment with a single command. It uses KVM on Linux, Hyper-V on Windows and QEMU on macOS to run virtual machines with minimal overhead. It can also use VirtualBox on Windows and macOS. Multipass will fetch Ubuntu images for you and keep them up to date.
Since it supports metadata for cloud-init, you can simulate a small cloud deployment on your laptop or workstation.
Project status
| Service | Status |
|---|---|
| CI |  |
| Snap |  |
| Codecov |  |
Installation
-
On Linux, Multipass is available as a snap:
sudo snap install multipass -
On macOS, you can download the installer from GitHub or use Homebrew:
brew install --cask multipassPlease note that you may be required to enter your password for some sudo operations during installation. You may also need to disable the firewall to launch a multipass instance successfully on macOS.
-
On Windows, download the installer from GitHub.
For more information, see How to install Multipass.
Usage
Here are some pointers to get started with Multipass. For a more comprehensive learning experience, please check out the Multipass Tutorial.
Find available images
$ multipass find
Image Aliases Version Description
20.04 focal 20240731 Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
22.04 jammy 20240808 Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
24.04 noble,lts 20240806 Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
Blueprint Aliases Version Description
anbox-cloud-appliance latest Anbox Cloud Appliance
charm-dev latest A development and testing environment for charmers
docker 0.4 A Docker environment with Portainer and related tools
jellyfin latest Jellyfin is a Free Software Media System that puts you in control of managing and streaming your media.
minikube latest minikube is local Kubernetes
ros-noetic 0.1 A development and testing environment for ROS Noetic.
ros2-humble 0.1 A development and testing environment for ROS 2 Humble.
Launch a fresh instance of the current Ubuntu LTS
$ multipass launch lts
Launched: dancing-chipmunk
Check out the running instances
$ multipass list
Name State IPv4 Image
dancing-chipmunk Running 192.168.64.8 Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
phlegmatic-bluebird Stopped -- Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
docker Running 192.168.64.11 Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
172.17.0.1
Learn more about an instance
$ multipass info dancing-chipmunk
Name: dancing-chipmunk
State: Running
Snapshots: 0
IPv4: 192.168.64.8
Release: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
Image hash: e2608bfdbc44 (Ubuntu 24.04 LTS)
CPU(s): 1
Load: 5.70 4.58 2.63
Disk usage: 3.3GiB out of 4.8GiB
Memory usage: 769.0MiB out of 953.0MiB
Mounts: --
Connect to a running instance
$ multipass shell dancing-chipmunk
Welcome to Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (GNU/Linux 6.8.0-39-generic aarch64)
...
Don't forget to logout (or Ctrl-D) or you may find yourself heading all the way down Inception levels... ;)
Run commands inside an instance from outside
$ multipass exec dancing-chipmunk -- lsb_release -a
No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID: Ubuntu
Description: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
Release: 24.04
Codename: noble
Stop an instance to save resources
$ multipass stop dancing-chipmunk
Delete an instance
$ multipass delete dancing-chipmunk
The instance will now show up as deleted:
$ multipass list
Name State IPv4 Image
dancing-chipmunk Deleted -- Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
phlegmatic-bluebird Stopped -- Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
docker Running 192.168.64.11 Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
172.17.0.1
If you want to completely get rid of it:
$ multipass purge
Get help
multipass help
multipass help <command>
Start developing Multipass
Here's a set of steps to build the Multipass source code on Linux.
Please note that these instructions do not support building packages for macOS or Windows systems.
Build dependencies
cd <multipass>
sudo apt install devscripts equivs
mk-build-deps -s sudo -i
Build Multipass
cd <multipass>
git submodule update --init --recursive
mkdir build
cd build
cmake ../
make
Please note that if you're working on a forked repository that you created using the "Copy the main branch only" option, the repository will not include the necessary git tags to determine the Multipass version during CMake configuration. In this case, you need to manually fetch the tags from the upstream by running git fetch --tags https://github.com/canonical/multipass.git in the <multipass> source code directory.
Run the Multipass daemon and client
First, install Multipass's runtime dependencies. On AMD64 architecture, you can do this with:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install libgl1 libpng16-16 libqt6core6 libqt6gui6 \
libqt6network6 libqt6widgets6 libxml2 libvirt0 dnsmasq-base \
dnsmasq-utils qemu-system-x86 qemu-utils libslang2 iproute2 \
iptables iputils-ping libatm1 libxtables12 xterm
Then run the Multipass daemon:
sudo <multipass>/build/bin/multipassd &
Copy the desktop file that Multipass clients expect to find in your home:
mkdir -p ~/.local/share/multipass/
cp <multipass>/data/multipass.gui.autostart.desktop ~/.local/share/multipass/
Optionally, enable auto-complete in Bash:
source <multipass>/completions/bash/multipass
Now you can use the multipass command from your terminal (for example <multipass>/build/bin/multipass launch --name foo) or launch the GUI client with the command <multipass>/build/bin/multipass.gui.
Contributing guidelines
The Multipass team appreciates contributions to the project, through pull requests, issues, or discussions and questions on the Discourse forum.
Please read the following guidelines carefully before contributing to the project.
Code of Conduct
When contributing, you must adhere to the Code of Conduct.
Copyright
The code in this repository is licensed under GNU General Public License v3.0. See LICENSE for more information.
License agreement
All contributors must sign the Canonical contributor license agreement (CLA), which gives Canonical permission to use the contributions. Without the CLA, contributions cannot be accepted.
Pull requests
Changes to this project should be proposed as pull requests. Proposed changes will then go through review and once approved, be merged into the main branch.
Additional information
Top Related Projects
Vagrant is a tool for building and distributing development environments.
:warning: This repository is deprecated and will be archived (Docker CE itself is NOT deprecated) see the https://github.com/docker/docker-ce/blob/master/README.md :warning:
Little helper to run CNCF's k3s in Docker
Kubernetes IN Docker - local clusters for testing Kubernetes
Linux virtual machines, with a focus on running containers
Convert designs to code with AI
Introducing Visual Copilot: A new AI model to turn Figma designs to high quality code using your components.
Try Visual Copilot