Lume: A Lightweight CLI Tool for Managing macOS and Linux Virtual Machines on Apple Silicon

Running virtual machines (VMs) on Apple Silicon devices is a common need for developers and system administrators. While macOS provides the official Virtualization.framework, users often rely on tools such as UTM, Multipass, or Docker. Lume is a lightweight command‑line interface (CLI) and local API server that offers a simple and efficient way to create, run, and manage macOS and Linux VMs.

1. Project Overview

Lume is an open‑source local VM management tool built specifically for Apple Silicon. It leverages macOS’s Virtualization.framework to simplify VM configuration and operation, allowing users to manage VMs via CLI commands or HTTP API.

Key features include:

Creating macOS/Linux VMs with customizable CPU, memory, and disk parameters.

Starting, pausing, resuming, and deleting VMs.

Providing an HTTP API server for automated VM management.

Pre‑built images for macOS and Ubuntu that can be downloaded and used directly.

Lume is well suited for developers, operations engineers, and anyone who wants to run VMs on Apple Silicon with minimal hassle.

2. Installation and Usage

2.1 Installation

Lume can be installed via Homebrew (recommended) or manually.

Homebrew installation

brew tap trycua/lume
brew install lume

Manual installation

Download lume.pkg.tar.gz from GitHub Releases.

Extract the archive: tar -xvzf lume.pkg.tar.gz

Run the install script: ./install.sh

After installation, verify with lume --help .

2.2 Basic Commands

Typical CLI commands:

Create a VM (e.g., Ubuntu with 4 CPUs, 8 GB RAM, 40 GB disk): lume create ubuntu --cpus 4 --memory 8G --disk 40G

List VMs: lume list

Start a VM named ubuntu-vm : lume start ubuntu-vm

SSH into the VM: lume ssh ubuntu-vm

Stop the VM: lume stop ubuntu-vm

Delete the VM: lume delete ubuntu-vm

These commands streamline VM workflows on macOS without manual virtualization configuration.

3. Technical Architecture

3.1 Technology Stack

Virtualization.framework : macOS’s official virtualization API.

Swift + Shell scripts : Implement the CLI logic.

Go : Powers the API server component.

Compared with UTM or QEMU, Lume benefits from native macOS support, higher performance, and better compatibility.

3.2 API Server

Lume includes a local API server listening on http://localhost:3000/lume . Example RESTful calls:

Get VM list: curl -X GET http://localhost:3000/lume/vms

Start a VM: curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/lume/vms/start -d '{"name": "ubuntu-vm"}'

This API is ideal for automation and remote VM management.

4. Advantages and Limitations

4.1 Advantages

Lightweight : No need for additional QEMU or Hypervisor installations.

Official framework support : Built on Virtualization.framework for native macOS compatibility.

High usability : CLI and API enable easy integration into workflows.

Pre‑built images : Quickly spin up macOS or Linux VMs.

High performance : Faster than QEMU on M1/M2 chips.

4.2 Limitations

Only works on Apple Silicon; Intel Macs and Windows are unsupported.

Feature set is basic compared with UTM or Parallels Desktop (e.g., no Windows VM support).

Lacks a graphical user interface; currently CLI‑only.

5. Use Cases

Local development and testing: Run Linux VMs for web development on macOS.

Automated deployment: Use the API in CI/CD pipelines for VM provisioning.

Secure isolation: Execute high‑risk applications inside a VM to protect the host.

macOS development debugging: Test macOS features or Xcode environments inside a VM.

6. Conclusion and Outlook

Lume is a lightweight, high‑performance, and easy‑to‑use macOS/Linux VM management tool tailored for Apple Silicon users. It integrates smoothly into command‑line workflows and supports API‑driven automation. Future directions may include Windows VM support, a GUI version, and enhanced snapshot management.