Linux Machines
Create and manage lightweight Linux virtual machines.
What Are Machines?
Machines are full Linux virtual machines running on Apple's Virtualization.framework. They provide a complete Linux environment with its own kernel, filesystem, and network stack.
Use machines when you need:
- A persistent Linux environment for development
- Software that requires a full kernel (e.g., custom kernel modules, systemd services)
- An isolated environment separate from the container runtime
Machine List
Click Machines in the sidebar. Each machine shows its name, status, distribution, and allocated resources.
Create a Machine
Click New Machine and configure:
- Name — identifier for the machine
- Distribution — choose from available distributions
- CPU — number of virtual cores (default: 2)
- Memory — RAM allocation (default: 2 GB)
- Disk — virtual disk size (default: 20 GB)
arcbox machine create --name dev --distro ubuntu:24.04 --cpus 4 --memory 4g --disk 40gThe machine boots in seconds using ArcBox's optimized kernel and initramfs.
Lifecycle
Start / Stop / Restart — use the controls next to each machine.
Remove deletes the machine and its virtual disk. This is irreversible.
Terminal Access
Click a running machine to open a terminal session. This gives you a root shell inside the VM.
For SSH access, see SSH.