Is Docker Running Slowly on MacOS?

If we see that Docker is slow on MacOS, we can try some solutions to make it faster. We can increase Docker’s resources, change some settings, and clear the Docker system cache. By doing these things, we can make Docker work better on our Mac. This will help us have a smoother time when we develop.

In this article, we will look at different ways to make Docker perform better on MacOS. We will share easy solutions like increasing Docker resources, using WSL2, and managing volume mounts well. We will also explain how to clear the Docker system cache to free up space and make things run faster. Here’s a quick list of what we will talk about:

  • Is Docker Running Slowly on MacOS Solutions
  • How to Optimize Docker Performance on MacOS
  • How to Increase Docker Resources on MacOS
  • How to Use Docker in WSL2 on MacOS
  • How to Clear Docker System Cache on MacOS
  • How to Use Volume Mounts Efficiently on MacOS
  • Frequently Asked Questions

How to Optimize Docker Performance on MacOS

To make Docker work better on MacOS, we can follow some simple steps:

  1. Adjust Resource Allocation:
    • We open Docker Desktop and go to Preferences > Resources.
    • We increase the CPU and memory to fit our needs.
    # Example: Change CPU count from 2 to 4 and memory from 2GB to 4GB
# We can do it in the Docker Desktop GUI
  2. Use BuildKit:
    • We can turn on Docker BuildKit. It helps to make builds faster.
    export DOCKER_BUILDKIT=1
docker build .
  3. Optimize Volume Mounts:
    • We should use named volumes instead of bind mounts when we can. It helps with performance.
    version: '3'
services:
  app:
    image: your-image
    volumes:
      - your_volume:/app
  4. Leverage Docker’s Caching:
    • We can set up our Dockerfile to use layer caching well. We put commands that change less at the top.
    FROM node:14
WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm install
COPY . .
CMD ["npm", "start"]
  5. Use .dockerignore:
    • We can use a .dockerignore file. It helps to leave out files that we don’t need in the build. This makes the build smaller.
    node_modules
.git
*.log
  6. Minimize Network Overhead:
    • If our app talks over the network, we should put services on the same Docker network. This helps to lower delay.
    docker network create my_network
docker run --network my_network app1
docker run --network my_network app2
  7. Keep Docker Updated:
    • We need to update Docker Desktop often. This helps us get better performance and fixes.
  8. Check Disk Performance:
    • We should watch how much disk space we use. We can use docker system df to see disk usage and docker system prune to clean up data we don’t use.
  9. Disable Unused Features:
    • If we are not using Kubernetes or other features, we can turn them off in Docker Desktop. This saves resources.
  10. Use Native Linux Environment:
    • For bigger tasks, we can think about using Docker with WSL 2. It gives a more native experience and can help performance a lot. We can follow How to Use Docker in WSL2 on MacOS for instructions.

By using these steps, we can make Docker run better on MacOS. Our container apps will work more smoothly.

How to Increase Docker Resources on MacOS

To make Docker work better on macOS, we can increase the resources for Docker Desktop. This means we can give it more CPU, memory, and swap space. Let’s go through the steps together:

  1. Open Docker Desktop: First, we need to open Docker from the Applications folder.

  2. Access Preferences: Next, we click on the Docker icon in the menu bar and choose Preferences.

  3. Increase CPU and Memory:

    • Go to the Resources tab.
    • We can move the sliders for CPUs and Memory to give more resources. For example, we can set:
      • CPUs: 4
      • Memory: 8 GB
    • After that, we click Apply & Restart to save what we did.

  4. Adjust Swap Space: Still in the Resources tab, we can change the swap space if we need to.

  5. Using Docker Compose: If we use Docker Compose, we should make sure our services are set up to use resources well. We can do this by setting resource limits in our docker-compose.yml file:

    services:
  my_service:
    image: my_image
    deploy:
      resources:
        limits:
          cpus: '1.0'
          memory: 512M

  6. Monitor Performance: We can use Docker’s built-in tools to check how well it is using resources. This helps us see if our changes are making a difference.

Increasing Docker resources on macOS can really help our containers run better and make our development work easier. For more tips on improving Docker, we can check how to optimize Docker performance on MacOS.

How to Use Docker in WSL2 on MacOS

We can use Docker in WSL2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux 2) on macOS by following these simple steps.

  1. Install WSL2: First, make sure WSL2 is installed. We can check the official Microsoft documentation for instructions.

  2. Install a Linux Distribution: Next, we choose a Linux distribution from the Microsoft Store. Ubuntu is a good option.

  3. Install Docker Desktop: We need to download and install Docker Desktop for Mac.

  4. Enable WSL Integration:

    • Let’s open Docker Desktop.
    • Now go to Settings, then Resources, and find WSL Integration.
    • Here, we enable integration with our installed Linux distributions.

  5. Verify Docker Installation: We open our WSL terminal, like Ubuntu, and run this command:

    docker version

    This command shows the Docker version we installed.

  6. Run Docker Commands: Now we can run Docker commands directly from our WSL terminal. For example:

    docker run hello-world

  7. Networking: If we want to connect to services in Docker containers, we can use localhost or the internal IP address of our WSL2 instance.

  8. File Sharing: WSL2 lets us access files on our Mac. We can go to our Mac’s file system from WSL2 using the /mnt/c/ path. For example:

    cd /mnt/c/Users/YourUsername/Documents

By following these steps, we can use Docker in WSL2 on macOS. For more details about Docker and what it can do, we can check the article on how to install Docker on different operating systems.

How to Clear Docker System Cache on MacOS

We can clear Docker’s system cache on MacOS to free up space on our disk. To do this, we use the docker system prune command. This command removes data that is not used. This includes stopped containers, networks that no container uses, dangling images, and build cache.

Basic Command

docker system prune

To Remove All Unused Images

If we want to include all unused images, not just the dangling ones, we can add the -a flag:

docker system prune -a

To Force Prune Without Confirmation

If we want to run the command without asking for confirmation, we can use the -f flag:

docker system prune -f

To Remove Specific Data

We can also clear specific types of data:

  • Remove unused volumes:
docker volume prune
  • Remove dangling images:
docker image prune
  • Remove stopped containers:
docker container prune

Check Disk Usage

To check how much space Docker is using, we can use:

docker system df

Note

We should use these commands carefully. They will delete data that is not in use forever. For more details on Docker commands, we can look at the Docker documentation.

How to Use Volume Mounts Efficiently on MacOS

When we use Docker on MacOS, managing volume mounts well can make performance and usability much better. Here are some simple ways to improve volume mounts:

  1. Use Named Volumes: Named volumes work better than bind mounts. They are good for saving data. To create a named volume, we can use:

    docker volume create my_volume

    To use the volume in a container, we run:

    docker run -v my_volume:/data my_image

  2. Limit Bind Mounts: Bind mounts are easy for development but can slow down file tasks. We should use them only when really needed.

    docker run -v $(pwd):/app my_image

  3. Avoid Mounting Large Directories: If we can, we should not mount big directories with many files. It is better to mount only the needed subdirectories or files.

  4. Use Docker Sync: For development that needs fast file syncing, we can use Docker Sync. It helps to sync files between the host and container better than normal mounts.

    docker-sync start

  5. Optimize File System Performance: We should use file systems that work better with Docker like APFS on MacOS. This can make file tasks in containers faster.

  6. Use :cached or :delegated Options: When we use bind mounts, we can make things faster by adding options like :cached or :delegated. This helps with caching.

    docker run -v $(pwd):/app:cached my_image

  7. Use Docker Desktop Settings: We can change settings in Docker Desktop to give more resources like CPU and memory. This helps when we work with volume mounts.

By using these tips, we can make Docker run better on MacOS, especially when we deal with volume mounts. For more tips on optimization, we can check out how to optimize Docker performance on MacOS.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why is Docker running slow on MacOS?

Docker can run slow on MacOS because it needs a virtual machine (VM) to work. This adds extra load. Things like not enough system resources or wrong Docker settings can make the slowness worse. We can improve Docker’s speed on MacOS by managing resources better and using volume mounts smartly. For more tips, check our guide on How to Optimize Docker Performance on MacOS.

2. How can I increase Docker resources on MacOS?

To give more resources to Docker on MacOS, we open Docker Desktop. Then we go to Preferences and change the CPU, memory, and swap settings in the “Resources” tab. Giving more resources can help Docker run better, especially for heavy applications. For a step-by-step guide, look at our article on How to Increase Docker Resources on MacOS.

3. What are volume mounts in Docker and how do they affect performance on MacOS?

Volume mounts in Docker help us share folders between our host and containers. This helps keep data. But if we set them up wrong, it can slow down performance because of file system load. We can use named volumes or bind mounts better to solve these problems. Find more about good volume management in our article on How to Use Volume Mounts Efficiently on MacOS.

4. How do I clear the Docker system cache on MacOS?

We can clear the Docker system cache to free up disk space and make it run better. The command docker system prune helps remove unused data like stopped containers and old images. For a full guide on managing Docker resources, visit our article on Docker System Prune.

5. Can I use Docker in WSL2 on MacOS?

WSL2 is mostly for Windows, but we can run Docker on MacOS directly using Docker Desktop. Docker Desktop uses HyperKit instead of WSL2, and it works smoothly. However, using Docker with WSL2 is good for Windows users. For more details about Docker’s compatibility, look at our article on How to Use Docker in WSL2.