lima-compose

Compose for Lima VMs - A thin wrapper around limactl for declarative multi-VM management.

Overview

lima-compose allows you to define and manage multiple Lima VMs using a YAML file. It acts as a thin wrapper around limactl, providing the following capabilities:

• Define multiple VM configurations in a single YAML file
• Execute batch operations (create/destroy/start/stop) on all defined VMs
• Display the exact limactl commands being executed
• Output VM IP addresses in /etc/hosts format

Unlike Docker Compose, lima-compose intentionally provides minimal orchestration features - no service dependencies, no restart policies, and no built-in provisioning. It simply translates YAML definitions into limactl commands.

Features

• Declarative YAML configuration - Define all your VMs in a single file
• Batch operations - Create, start, stop, and destroy all VMs with one command
• Transparent execution - See exactly which limactl commands are being run
• Zero learning curve - If you know limactl, you already know lima-compose
• Network information - ExportVM IP addresses in /etc/hosts format

Prerequisites

Lima installed and limactl available in PATH

Installation

$ go install github.com/zinrai/lima-compose@latest

YAML Configuration

The configuration file consists of an instances section where each VM is defined with:

• template (required): The Lima template to use (URL, path, or template:// reference)
• args (optional): Command-line arguments passed directly to limactl create

Minimal Example

instances:
  my-vm:
    template: template://debian
    args: |
      --cpus 2
      --memory 2

Full Example with Multiple VMs

instances:
  consul-server-01:
    template: template://ubuntu-lts
    args: |
      --cpus 2
      --memory 4
      --disk 50
      --set '.env.NODE_TYPE="server"'
      
  consul-server-02:
    template: template://ubuntu-lts
    args: |
      --cpus 2
      --memory 4
      --disk 50
      --set '.env.NODE_TYPE="server"'
      
  consul-client-01:
    template: template://ubuntu-lts
    args: |
      --cpus 4
      --memory 8
      --disk 100
      --mount ~/projects:/projects:w
      --set '.env.NODE_TYPE="client"'

Commands

create

Creates all VMs defined in the YAML file.

$ lima-compose create [compose-file]

• Executes limactl create for each instance
• Shows the exact limactl command being run
• Fails if any VM cannot be created

destroy

Destroys all VMs defined in the YAML file.

$ lima-compose destroy [compose-file]

start

Starts all VMs defined in the YAML file.

$ lima-compose start [compose-file]

stop

Stops all VMs defined in the YAML file.

$ lima-compose stop [compose-file]

ips

Shows IP addresses of all running VMs in /etc/hosts format.

$ lima-compose ips [compose-file]

Output example:

192.168.5.15    web-01-eth0
192.168.5.15    db-01-eth0

If no compose file is specified, lima-compose.yaml or lima-compose.yml is used by default.

Usage Examples

Basic Workflow

# Create VMs
lima-compose create lima-compose.yaml

# Check status using standard limactl
limactl list

# Get IP addresses
lima-compose ips lima-compose.yaml

# SSH into a specific VM using standard limactl
limactl shell web-01

# Stop all VMs
lima-compose stop lima-compose.yaml

# Start all VMs
lima-compose start lima-compose.yaml

# Destroy all VMs
lima-compose destroy lima-compose.yaml

Distributing hosts Configuration

# Get IP addresses and save to file
lima-compose ips > /tmp/hosts

# Distribute to all VMs
for vm in web-01 db-01; do
  cat /tmp/hosts | limactl shell $vm "sudo tee -a /etc/hosts"
done

Design Philosophy

lima-compose is intentionally designed as a thin wrapper around limactl:

• Transparent: Every limactl command executed is shown to the user
• Minimal: Only provides multi-VM management, nothing more
• Non-invasive: Does not modify or enhance Lima's functionality
• Predictable: YAML content directly maps to limactl commands

Limitations

By design, lima-compose does NOT:

• Support partial operations (all VMs or none)
• Control startup order or dependencies
• Provide provisioning or configuration management
• Manage VM state beyond what limactl provides
• Hide or abstract Lima's behavior

For individual VM operations, use limactl directly.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.