What is Tart used for?

Tart is a virtualization toolset for building, running and managing macOS and Linux virtual machines on Apple Silicon, aimed at CI and automation. It is a good fit for clean macOS VMs for CI builds, testing iOS and macOS software, and distributing VM images through container registries.

Yes. Tart is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at openai/tart and is written mainly in Swift.

Yes. Tart is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence.

What are some alternatives to Tart?

Similar open-source tools in the Infrastructure & Containers category include Quickemu, UTM and LXD. SaaS products in the same category include Parallels Desktop, OrbStack and Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform.

Is Tart actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Tart was on 30 September 2026, and the latest release is 2.40.1, published on 30 September 2026. The project has 7.3k stars on GitHub.

Tart: open-source infrastructure & containers

About Tart

Tart is a virtualization toolset for creating, running and managing macOS and Linux virtual machines on Apple Silicon. It was built by CI engineers for automation needs, so it focuses on disposable, reproducible VMs rather than desktop virtualization for everyday use.

It uses Apple's own Virtualization.Framework to get near-native performance, and VMs can be pushed to and pulled from any OCI-compatible container registry, which makes distribution similar to container images. A Tart Packer plugin automates VM creation, and the tool integrates with any CI system. Trying it requires an Apple Silicon Mac running macOS 13 Ventura or later, and the first run downloads a large image of around 25 GB.

The project is written in Swift. The repository lists its license as Other and tags the project as fair-source, so check the licence terms before commercial use. Many companies use it in internal CI setups, according to the README. It suits teams building and testing macOS or iOS software that need clean VMs on their own Mac hardware.

Key features

macOS and Linux VMs on Apple Silicon
Near-native speed via Virtualization.Framework
Push and pull VMs from OCI registries
Packer plugin for VM creation
Integrates with any CI system
Command-line management of VMs

Good fit for

→Clean macOS VMs for CI builds
→Testing iOS and macOS software
→Distributing VM images through container registries

Built with: Swift
Tags: virtualization; macos; apple-silicon; ci; vm; automation; linux; oci; fair-source

Tart: questions and answers

What is Tart used for?: Tart is a virtualization toolset for building, running and managing macOS and Linux virtual machines on Apple Silicon, aimed at CI and automation. It is a good fit for clean macOS VMs for CI builds, testing iOS and macOS software, and distributing VM images through container registries.
Is Tart open source?: Yes. Tart is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at openai/tart and is written mainly in Swift.
Is Tart free?: Yes. Tart is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence.
What are some alternatives to Tart?: Similar open-source tools in the Infrastructure & Containers category include Quickemu, UTM and LXD. SaaS products in the same category include Parallels Desktop, OrbStack and Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform.
Is Tart actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Tart was on 30 September 2026, and the latest release is 2.40.1, published on 30 September 2026. The project has 7.3k stars on GitHub.