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Lima

INFRA · APIS
Velocity2.5

Linux virtual machines with automatic file sharing and port forwarding on macOS

lima-vm.io ↗

Lima keeps widening which machines it can run on, and run.

virtual-machinescontainerswindows-supportcross-platformdeveloper-tooling
◆Current state
Lima runs Linux virtual machines for container workloads, and its 2.x line has been a steady expansion of the host and guest matrix. macOS and FreeBSD guests arrived at 2.1.0, Windows Server 2025 and Windows 11 guests followed through 2.2.0, and 2.3.0-beta.0 adds an experimental HCS driver for Windows hosts along with further Windows guest work. Each platform addition lands marked experimental first, and much of the surrounding work is CLI and template maintenance.
◆Where it's heading
The project is converging on a single tool that runs any guest on any host, and it is doing so from both ends: guest support and host drivers advance in alternating releases. Windows is the current focus on both sides, having moved from an unsupported host default to qemu and now to a native HCS driver option. The LFX mentee contributions behind much of this suggest the platform matrix expands as contributor capacity allows rather than on a roadmap.
◆Prediction
The HCS driver should follow the same path the other platform additions took, moving from experimental to a supported or default option on Windows hosts once the guest work stabilises around it.

◆Recent moves

  1. 15d ago

    2.3.0-beta.0: an experimental HCS driver for Windows hosts

    An experimental HCS driver for Windows hosts, plus further Windows guest enhancements. It extends the host side of the platform matrix rather than opening a new one: Windows hosts were already supported through wsl2 and then qemu, and this adds a native driver option alongside them.

    View source ↗
  2. 2mo ago

    2.2.0-rc.0: Windows 11 guests and a sudo opt-out

    Windows 11 guests, a password-less sudo opt-out, TPM emulation and virtio-sound, with the Windows host default moving from wsl2 to qemu. The release where Windows became a properly worked platform on both sides rather than a special case.

    View source ↗
  3. 2mo ago

    2.2.0-beta.0: Windows Server 2025 guests and TPM emulation

    Windows Server 2025 guests and TPM emulation, the first half of the Windows guest push that 2.2.0-rc.0 completed. The experimental-first pattern visible here is the one the new HCS driver follows.

    View source ↗
  4. 4mo ago

    2.1.2-beta.0: CLI mount and rsync path fixes

    CLI mount and rsync path fixes on the 2.1 line, maintenance between the guest-platform releases that define this arc.

    View source ↗
  5. 6mo ago

    2.1.0-rc.1: macOS and FreeBSD guests, plus an agent sync guard

    ⚡ SPARK

    The release that set the current direction: guests beyond Linux, and an explicit guard against agents writing to host files. Every platform addition since, including the Windows host driver in this run, extends the matrix it opened.

    View source ↗