Run Docker containers on a faster engine.

Kiri is a runtime for Docker containers. It serves the Docker Engine API, so docker, Docker Compose, buildx, your IDE and anything else that uses the Docker socket work as they do today. Underneath, one Rust daemon replaces dockerd, containerd and runc.

Download Kiri See the numbers

Free and open source under Apache 2.0. Mac, Windows and Linux.

Measured

Same docker commands, less waiting.

Four engines on one Apple silicon Mac, each limited to the same 2 CPUs and 8 GB, driven by the same docker CLI with the same warm images. Medians, lower is better for times.

Measurement	Kiri	Docker Desktop	OrbStack	Colima
`docker run --rm alpine true`	22 ms	178 ms	279 ms	152 ms
`docker exec … true`	15.7 ms	47.7 ms	32.5 ms	36.8 ms
Container lifecycle through the Docker API	3.1 ms	163 ms	238 ms	88 ms
Containers started in parallel	88.9 /s	11.4 /s	8.2 /s	12.9 /s
200 MB out of a container	223 MB/s	45 MB/s	87 MB/s	63 MB/s
Bind mount read, 1 GB	1724 MB/s	1354 MB/s	3240 MB/s	5235 MB/s

2 November 2026, Kiri 0.1.13, Docker Desktop 4.90.0, OrbStack 2.2.4, Colima 0.10.3. Where another engine wins, the table says so: Colima reads bind mounts faster. On Windows Kiri starts a container in 78 ms against Docker Desktop's 491 ms. Method, every row and the caveats: benchmarks.

Compatible

Your Docker workflow, unchanged.

The Docker Engine API

Kiri answers on a Docker socket, and on Windows on a named pipe, as the kiri docker context. Through the API a full container lifecycle takes 3.1 ms on a Mac.

Compose and buildx

docker compose up brings up your project and docker buildx build builds images, with a scan when the build finishes.

Docker Hub and every registry

Pull any image from Docker Hub or your own registry. amd64 images run through Rosetta on Apple silicon, and --platform is honoured.

Your tools keep working

VS Code Dev Containers, JetBrains, Testcontainers and scripts that read DOCKER_HOST use the same API Kiri serves.

Names and HTTPS

Running apps open at myapp.kiri.local, with HTTPS from Kiri's own certificate authority.

Share any container

One click puts a running container on a public HTTPS link with Kiri Share, for a demo or a webhook.

Side by side

Docker runtimes compared.

Feature	Kiri	Docker Desktop	OrbStack	Colima
Mac	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Windows	Yes	Yes	No	No
Linux	Yes, no VM	In a VM	No	Yes
Free at work	Yes	Paid over 250 staff	Paid	Yes
Open source	Apache 2.0	No	No	MIT
Desktop app	Native	Electron	Native	CLI only
`docker`, Compose, buildx	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Kubernetes	Yes	Yes	Yes	k3s
Public link to a container	Kiri Share	No	No	No
`docker run` on a Mac	22 ms	178 ms	279 ms	152 ms

Docker Desktop needs a paid subscription in companies with more than 250 employees or more than $10 million a year in revenue. OrbStack is free for personal use and paid for work. Checked November 2026; each project's own pages have the current terms.

Switching

Keep your commands. Change the engine.

Install Kiri
On a Mac, the app. On Windows, a per-user installer for WSL2. On Linux, a .deb or .rpm: curl -fsSL https://runkiri.com/install.sh | bash.
Bring your things over
Kiri moves images, volumes and containers over from Docker Desktop or OrbStack, so nothing is rebuilt. Keep the old one installed while you try it.
Run what you always run
```
$ docker compose up
```
Kiri adds a kiri docker context, so the docker CLI, Compose, buildx and your IDE talk to Kiri.

Questions

Asked often.

What is the best Docker runtime?

The Docker runtime is the engine behind the docker command. Docker Engine is the standard one; Kiri is a Docker-compatible runtime built to be faster and lighter. On one Mac Kiri ran docker run in 22 ms against 178 ms for Docker Desktop, 152 ms for Colima and 279 ms for OrbStack.

Is Kiri compatible with Docker?

Kiri serves the Docker Engine API, so the docker CLI, Docker Compose, buildx and tools that use the Docker socket work with it. It runs standard Docker images from Docker Hub or any registry.

Do I need Docker installed to use Kiri?

No. Kiri brings its own docker CLI, Compose and buildx. If you already have a docker CLI, Kiri Lite installs the engine alone and leaves your CLI in place.

Can I switch back to Docker?

Yes. Kiri adds a docker context named kiri. docker context use default goes back to your previous engine, and both can stay installed.

Does Kiri run Docker on Linux without dockerd?

Yes. On Linux Kiri replaces dockerd, containerd and runc with one daemon running straight on your kernel, installed as kiri.service with its socket at /run/kiri/docker.sock.