Does Docker still use VirtualBox on macOS (10.13) High Sierra?

Question

I am using Docker CE v18.06.0-ce-mac70 (26399). Does it still need VirtualBox to run containers? Would Docker still run if I uninstall my VirtualBox?

Solution

Good question. Seems confusing based on the documentation which states:

Docker for Mac uses HyperKit, a lightweight macOS virtualization solution built on top of the Hypervisor.framework.

But then states:

Currently, there is no docker-machine create driver for HyperKit, so use the virtualbox driver to create local machines. (See the Docker Machine driver for Oracle VirtualBox.) You can run both HyperKit and Oracle VirtualBox on the same system. To learn more, see Docker for Mac vs. Docker Toolbox.

So it seems like if you are not concerned about docker-machine create then you can use Docker CE without VirtualBox installed. But if you ask me, it seems that at some point you might get snagged while playing around with containers, so the best bet is to keep VirtualBox installed.

My personal best advice is if you don’t want VirtualBox around, just ditch it for now and do as you wish with Docker CE. And if/when you hit some command wall—such as the docker-machine create item mentioned above—then just install VirtualBox and accept that as the “price of admission” for using Docker on macOS.