Native editions of Docker for Windows and Mac have moved from beta to production versions.

The open packaging technology of Docker lets you run an app without the need to install the files on which your app depends on the system on which it is running. Instead, your app gets its own operating system environment packaged with it.

The goal with Docker for Mac and Windows has been to let developers use Docker on the machines on which they are developing, no matter what the operating system. Before this Docker was essentially a Linux application, and if you wanted to use it to develop on Mac and Windows, you had to use the Docker Toolbox.

The new version contains a Docker engine running in an Alpine Linux distribution on top of an xhyve Virtual Machine on Mac OS X or on a Hyper-V VM on Windows, and that VM is managed by the Docker application.

Docker for Mac is a Mac application and Docker for Windows is a Windows application. Both include a native user interface, and come bundled with the Docker toolset of the Docker command line, Compose, and Notary command line.

The new version is also designed to provide an easier flow of development work. You get volume mounting for your code and data, and access to running containers on the localhost network. There's also In-container debugging with supported IDEs. Docker for Mac and Windows include a DNS server for containers, and are integrated with the Mac OS X and Windows networking system.

Docker for Mac can be used at the same time as Docker Toolbox on the same machine, allowing developers to continue using Toolbox as they evaluate Docker for Mac. On Windows you need to stop Toolbox before using Docker for Windows

While the new versions are being made generally available, the developers have come up with a plan to keep the new versions moving forward rapidly. To achieve this, Docker for Mac and Windows will be available from two channels – stable and beta. New features and bug fixes will go out first in auto-updates to users in the beta channel, then when well-tested will be rolled out to the stable channel on a less frequent basis, in sync with major and minor releases of the Docker engine.

More Information

Docker for Mac

Docker for Windows

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The Docker Way To Development

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