Why Not Use Apple Containers Instead?
Because Apple containers:
Aren’t meant for system-level isolation — they’re for app sandboxing.
Don’t provide process namespaces, cgroups, or Linux syscalls, which are essential to containerization.
Wouldn’t be compatible with the entire Linux-based Docker ecosystem (images, tooling, etc.).
So Docker sticks with Linux containers, running them in a VM layer on macOS.
Why Not Use Apple Containers Instead?
Because Apple containers:
Aren’t meant for system-level isolation — they’re for app sandboxing.
Don’t provide process namespaces, cgroups, or Linux syscalls, which are essential to containerization.
Wouldn’t be compatible with the entire Linux-based Docker ecosystem (images, tooling, etc.).
So Docker sticks with Linux containers, running them in a VM layer on macOS.