LinuxKit VMs

Deploy applications using lightweight, immutable LinuxKit VMs. VMs run using QEMU or HyperKit depending on your system.

Running VMs

From Image File

Run pre-built images in .iso, .qcow2, .vmdk, or .raw format:

# Run ISO image
core vm run server.iso

# Run with more resources
core vm run -d --memory 4096 --cpus 4 server.qcow2

# Custom SSH port
core vm run --ssh-port 2223 server.iso

From Template

Build and run from a LinuxKit template in one command:

# Run template with SSH key
core vm run --template server-php --var SSH_KEY="$(cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub)"

# Multiple variables
core vm run --template server-php \
  --var SSH_KEY="$(cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub)" \
  --var DOMAIN=example.com

Options

Flag	Description	Default
--template	Run from a LinuxKit template	-
--var	Template variable (KEY=VALUE)	-
--name	VM name	auto
--memory	Memory in MB	1024
--cpus	CPU count	1
--ssh-port	SSH port for exec	2222
-d	Detached mode (background)	false

Managing VMs

List Running VMs

# Show running VMs
core vm ps

# Include stopped VMs
core vm ps -a

Output:

ID        NAME      IMAGE                STATUS    STARTED   PID
abc12345  myvm      server-php.qcow2     running   5m        12345
def67890  devbox    core-dev.iso         stopped   2h        -

Stop a VM

# Full ID
core vm stop abc12345678

# Partial ID match
core vm stop abc1

View Logs

# View logs
core vm logs abc12345

# Follow logs (like tail -f)
core vm logs -f abc12345

Execute Commands

Run commands in a VM via SSH:

# List files
core vm exec abc12345 ls -la

# Check services
core vm exec abc12345 systemctl status php-fpm

# Open interactive shell
core vm exec abc12345 /bin/sh

Building Images

Build LinuxKit images with core build:

# Build ISO from config
core build --type linuxkit --config .core/linuxkit/server.yml

# Build QCOW2 for QEMU/KVM
core build --type linuxkit --config .core/linuxkit/server.yml --format qcow2-bios

# Build for multiple platforms
core build --type linuxkit --targets linux/amd64,linux/arm64

Output Formats

Format	Description	Use Case
iso-bios	Bootable ISO	Physical servers, legacy VMs
qcow2-bios	QEMU/KVM image	Linux hypervisors
raw	Raw disk image	Cloud providers
vmdk	VMware image	VMware ESXi
vhd	Hyper-V image	Windows Server

LinuxKit Configuration

Example .core/linuxkit/server.yml:

kernel:
  image: linuxkit/kernel:5.15
  cmdline: "console=tty0"

init:
  - linuxkit/init:v0.8
  - linuxkit/runc:v0.8

onboot:
  - name: sysctl
    image: linuxkit/sysctl:v0.8
  - name: dhcpcd
    image: linuxkit/dhcpcd:v0.8
    command: ["/sbin/dhcpcd", "--nobackground", "-f", "/dhcpcd.conf"]

services:
  - name: sshd
    image: linuxkit/sshd:v0.8
  - name: php
    image: dunglas/frankenphp:latest

files:
  - path: /etc/ssh/authorized_keys
    contents: |
      {{ .SSH_KEY }}
  - path: /etc/myapp/config.yaml
    contents: |
      server:
        port: 8080
        domain: {{ .DOMAIN }}

See Also

• Templates - Pre-configured VM templates
• LinuxKit Publisher - Publish LinuxKit images
• CLI Reference - Full VM command documentation