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Key Features

System Requirements

Complete Example

tinybridge init ubuntu:latest
tinybridge start
tinybridge ssh user@vm
tinybridge stop

  • macOS 10.13+ (Intel/Apple Silicon)
  • Linux with KVM support
  • 2GB+ disk space
  • 1GB+ RAM
  • Optional: Docker for container support

Boot Optimization

  • Tier 1: SSH ready in 1.5s
  • Tier 2: Usable UI in 5s
  • Tier 3: Complete boot in 120s
  • Live migration support

Networking

  • OTel instrumentation
  • Metrics/traces/logs
  • Multi-backend support
  • Service discovery

TinyBridge

Linux development on macOS. Open source, CLI-first, zero configuration.

Crates.io Tests

Lightweight, fast Linux VM integration for Mac developers. Develop for Linux without heavy virtualization.

Quick Start

# Install (Homebrew tap, all architectures)
brew tap Mullassery/tinybridge
brew install tinybridged

# Start Linux environment
tinybridge start

# Your shell is now in Linux
$ uname -a
Linux tinybridge 6.x.x

Key Features

  • Instant Linux environment on macOS
  • Zero configuration required
  • Fast boot (1.5s to interactive shell)
  • Full Linux compatibility
  • SSH access built-in
  • Minimal resource usage

Installation

Homebrew (Recommended)

Supports macOS on Intel and Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3)

brew tap Mullassery/tinybridge
brew install tinybridged

This installs two components:

  • tinybridge - CLI tool for managing Linux environments
  • tinybridged - Background daemon with auto-start via LaunchAgent

Minimal CLI Only

If you only need the command-line tool without the daemon:

brew tap Mullassery/tinybridge
brew install tinybridge

What Gets Installed

Component Purpose Auto-Start
tinybridge Command-line interface Manual
tinybridged Background daemon Yes (via LaunchAgent)

Note: tinybridged automatically installs tinybridge as a dependency.

Use Cases

  • Develop Linux-only applications on Mac
  • Test Docker containers locally
  • Cross-platform development
  • CI/CD pipeline testing
  • Kernel module development

Documentation

License

MIT License - See LICENSE