How to Replace Docker with Podman on macOS

Podman works as a drop-in Docker replacement on macOS with near-100% command compatibility and no daemon requirement.

Install Podman

brew install podman

Initialize and start the Podman machine (required on macOS for Linux VM):

podman machine init
podman machine start

Verify installation:

podman info

Create Docker Alias

For permanent redirection, add to your shell configuration.

Zsh (default on modern macOS):

echo "alias docker=podman" >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

Bash:

echo "alias docker=podman" >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

For temporary testing (current session only):

alias docker=podman

Command Compatibility

All standard Docker commands work identically:

docker ps
docker run -d nginx
docker build -t myapp .
docker-compose up

Podman provides Docker API socket compatibility automatically, so Docker-based tools and SDKs work without modification.

Migrate Existing Images

Export from Docker:

docker save myimage:latest > myimage.tar

Import to Podman:

podman load < myimage.tar

For most workflows, rebuilding containers with Podman is simpler than transferring Docker data.

Key Differences

Podman runs daemonless and rootless by default, improving security and resource usage. Container state persists in user space, not a system daemon.