A printable A4 landscape 4-column quick reference guide for Apple's container CLI tool on macOS.
This project provides a single-page, print-ready A4 landscape cheatsheet for Apple's official container CLI tool on macOS.
Each section maps directly to real container subcommands — from system management and image building to networking, machine control, and advanced run flags. It is designed to be pinned to a terminal corner, printed as a wall poster, or kept on a second monitor.
⚠️ Prerequisite: This cheatsheet describes commands available in Apple Containers. Commands will only work on a macOS system with Apple Containers installed. For installation instructions, visit the official Apple Container repository.
apple-container-cheatsheet/
├── cheatsheet.typ # Typst source file (single-page, 4-col layout)
├── cheatsheet.pdf # Rendered PDF output (A4 landscape)
├── README.md # This file
└── LICENSE # MIT License
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| System Management | container system start / stop / logs |
| Image Management | Build, pull, push, list, inspect, delete, prune |
| Container Lifecycle | Run, create, start, stop, restart, pause, unpause |
| Inspect & Execute | container inspect, exec interactive and detached |
| Volumes | Create, list, inspect, delete, mount, anonymous volumes |
| Builder | Build images from source directories and Dockerfiles |
| Cleanup | Delete, prune stopped containers and stopped machines |
| Networking | Create, list, delete custom/internal/subnet networks (macOS 26+) |
| Machine Management | Create, list, delete, boot, shell into VM sandboxes |
| Kernel & Properties | Set/get DNS, kernel properties; attach/detach networks |
| Advanced Run Flags | Resource limits, environment, init process, log drivers, GPU passthrough |
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Typst | Required to compile the source .typ file into PDF. Install from typst.app or via your package manager. |
| macOS + Apple Containers | Required to actually run the documented commands. See apple/container for installation. |
| PDF Viewer | Any viewer capable of rendering A4 landscape PDFs (preview on macOS, Okular on Linux, etc.). |
# 1. Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/WTHIJ/apple-container-cheatsheet.git
cd apple-container-cheatsheet
# 2. Compile the Typst source to PDF (already included in the repo)
typst compile cheatsheet.typ apple-container-cheatsheet.pdf
# 3. Open the PDF
open apple-container-cheatsheet.pdf- Open typst.app in your browser.
- Upload
cheatsheet.typto the editor. - Click Download PDF to get your rendered cheatsheet.
Contributions are welcome! This is an open-source community project. Please read the contributing guidelines before submitting a pull request.
- Keep the single-page layout intact - do not break the cheatsheet into multiple pages.
- Follow the existing helper functions - the Typst file uses
#section(),#subsection(),#code(), and#note()helpers. New content must use the same pattern to maintain visual consistency. - One logical block per subsection - aim for 3 to 6 command lines per subsection.
- Cross-reference the official docs - all commands must be verified against apple/container before submission.
- Test the output - always run
typst compile cheatsheet.typand visually verify the PDF before opening a PR.
- All new commands are tested and verified against the official Apple Containers CLI.
- The PDF compiles without errors (
typst compile cheatsheet.typexits with code 0). - New sections use the existing Typst helper functions.
- The cheatsheet fits within one A4 landscape page.
- This README is updated if the project structure changes.
This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.
This cheatsheet is inspired by and adapted from the official Apple Container project:
- Bug reports & feature requests: Open an issue on GitHub Issues
- PRs: All contributions welcome - see the contributing section above for guidelines.
Made with Typst · Designed for the Apple Containers community