What is Rancher Desktop used for?

Rancher Desktop is an open-source Electron app that brings Kubernetes and container management to Windows, macOS and Linux desktops. It is a good fit for developing containers locally and testing applications on a local Kubernetes cluster.

Is Rancher Desktop open source?

Yes. Rancher Desktop is open source under the Apache-2.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at rancher-sandbox/rancher-desktop and is written mainly in TypeScript.

Is Rancher Desktop free?

Yes. Rancher Desktop is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

What is Rancher Desktop an alternative to?

Rancher Desktop is an open-source alternative to Docker Desktop and OrbStack. Other open-source alternatives to Docker Desktop include Podman Desktop, Colima and Podman.

Is Rancher Desktop actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Rancher Desktop was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v1.24.0, published on 29 July 2026. The project has 7.4k stars on GitHub.

Rancher Desktop: open-source alternative to Docker Desktop

About Rancher Desktop

Rancher Desktop is an open-source project that puts Kubernetes and container tooling on a developer's computer. It supports Windows, macOS and Linux and is aimed at developers who want to build and run containers and try Kubernetes locally without setting up a cluster by hand.

It is an Electron application written mainly in TypeScript that bundles a variety of other technologies into one cohesive application. It also includes rdctl, a command-line tool written in Go. The repository README focuses on development, covering building from source, running unit and end-to-end tests with yarn scripts and setting up a Windows development environment, while user documentation lives on the project website.

Rancher Desktop is released under the Apache-2.0 licence and is hosted in the rancher-sandbox organization. Installers and user guides are published through rancherdesktop.io and docs.rancherdesktop.io.

Key features

Kubernetes on the desktop
Container management
Runs on Windows, macOS and Linux
rdctl command-line tool
Electron application written in TypeScript

Good fit for

→Developing containers locally
→Testing applications on a local Kubernetes cluster

Built with: TypeScript; Kubernetes
Tags: kubernetes; containers; desktop; electron; developer-tools; devops; typescript; cross-platform

Rancher Desktop: questions and answers

What is Rancher Desktop used for?: Rancher Desktop is an open-source Electron app that brings Kubernetes and container management to Windows, macOS and Linux desktops. It is a good fit for developing containers locally and testing applications on a local Kubernetes cluster.
Is Rancher Desktop open source?: Yes. Rancher Desktop is open source under the Apache-2.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at rancher-sandbox/rancher-desktop and is written mainly in TypeScript.
Is Rancher Desktop free?: Yes. Rancher Desktop is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
What is Rancher Desktop an alternative to?: Rancher Desktop is an open-source alternative to Docker Desktop and OrbStack. Other open-source alternatives to Docker Desktop include Podman Desktop, Colima and Podman.
Is Rancher Desktop actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Rancher Desktop was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v1.24.0, published on 29 July 2026. The project has 7.4k stars on GitHub.