Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

This page answers the most common questions about CiderStack, licensing, virtualization limits, and supported workflows.

If you don’t see your question here, feel free to reach out.

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General

What is CiderStack?

CiderStack is a native macOS virtualization platform for Apple Silicon Macs.

It allows you to create, snapshot, clone, migrate, and orchestrate macOS virtual machines — locally or across multiple Macs — using Apple’s official virtualization framework.

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Is CiderStack a cloud service?

No.

CiderStack runs entirely on your hardware.

There is:

• No SaaS backend

• No hosted controller

• No external scheduler

• No required account login

Your Macs communicate directly with each other.

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Does CiderStack rent Macs?

No.

CiderStack does not provide hosted or rented Macs.

It is software designed to run on machines you already own.

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Virtualization

How does macOS virtualization work?

CiderStack uses Apple’s Virtualization.framework, the same technology Apple uses internally for macOS virtualization.

No kernel extensions or emulation layers are used.

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Why can I only run two VMs per Mac?

This is an Apple platform limitation.

Apple enforces a maximum of two concurrently running macOS virtual machines per physical Mac.

This restriction comes from the operating system and cannot be bypassed by any software.

CiderStack automatically enforces this limit.

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Can I create more than two VMs?

Yes.

You may:

• Create unlimited VMs

• Store unlimited VMs

• Snapshot unlimited VMs

Only the number of running VMs is limited.

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Does more RAM or CPU increase the limit?

No.

The limit is fixed and unrelated to hardware capacity.

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Fleet Manager

What is Fleet Manager?

Fleet Manager allows CiderStack to manage multiple Macs as a single virtualization platform.

It enables:

• Distributed VM placement

• Centralized control

• VM migration

• Remote execution

• Horizontal scaling

Fleet Manager is CiderStack’s signature feature.

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Is Fleet required?

No.

If you are running VMs on a single Mac, Fleet Manager is optional.

Fleet is only required for multi-Mac orchestration.

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How do Macs discover each other?

CiderStack uses:

• Bonjour (mDNS) for automatic discovery

• Secure pairing codes for trust

Discovery does not grant access — pairing is always required.

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Is Fleet communication secure?

Yes.

Fleet uses:

• Encrypted connections

• Per-node cryptographic identities

• Explicit trust stores

No anonymous or broadcast control is allowed.

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Snapshots & Clones

How fast are snapshots?

Snapshots are nearly instant.

They use APFS copy-on-write technology and do not copy the entire disk.

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Do snapshots consume disk space?

Only when data changes.

Unmodified blocks are shared between snapshots.

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Can I create clones from snapshots?

Yes.

Instant clones can be created from any snapshot and are available in seconds.

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Are clones independent VMs?

Yes.

Once created, clones behave exactly like normal VMs.

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Images & Storage

What is an IPSW?

An IPSW is Apple’s official macOS restore image.

CiderStack uses only unmodified Apple IPSWs.

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Why does CiderStack use OCI images?

OCI registries provide:

• Versioned images

• Deduplication

• Caching

• Secure distribution

CiderStack uses OCI only for image transport — not for runtime execution.

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Can I use my own registry?

Yes.

Any OCI-compatible registry is supported.

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Where are VM files stored?

By default:

~/Library/Application Support/CiderStack/

Storage paths can be customized in settings.

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Networking

Do VMs have internet access?

Yes.

All VMs use NAT networking by default and can access the internet automatically.

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Can VMs be accessed from my LAN?

By default, VMs are not directly reachable from the LAN.

They are NATed behind the host Mac.

Fleet remote execution does not require inbound networking.

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Is bridged networking supported?

macOS restricts bridged virtualization networking.

Availability depends on OS version and entitlements.

CiderStack defaults to NAT for reliability.

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Migration

Can I move VMs between Macs?

Yes.

Fleet Manager supports full VM migration including:

• Disk images

• Snapshots

• Metadata

• Machine identity

No reinstall is required.

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Is migration live?

The VM must be powered off before migration.

Once migrated, it resumes on the new host.

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Licensing

Is CiderStack subscription-based?

No.

CiderStack uses one-time licenses per major version.

There are no recurring monthly fees.

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What does “per node” mean?

A node is one physical Mac.

Licensing is based on how many Macs participate in the fleet — not how many VMs you run.

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Can I use CiderStack offline?

Yes.

Licenses are stored locally and do not require continuous verification.

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What happens if I reinstall macOS?

You can reactivate your license on the same machine.

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Do licenses expire?

No.

Licenses are valid for all v1.x releases.

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Compatibility

Which Macs are supported?

• Apple Silicon Macs only

• macOS 13 or newer

Intel Macs are not supported due to Apple platform limitations.

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Is nested virtualization supported?

macOS does not support nested virtualization.

This is an Apple restriction.

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Can I run Docker inside a macOS VM?

Docker Desktop requires nested virtualization, so it is not supported at this time.

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Support

Is support included?

• Community support is available for all users

• Priority support is included in Fleet Pro and Enterprise tiers

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Where can I report bugs or request features?

• GitHub issues

• Community forums

• Direct support (licensed tiers)

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Final note

CiderStack was built to make macOS virtualization:

• Predictable

• Local

• Scalable

• Understandable

If something feels unclear, that’s a documentation problem — not a user problem.

We’re always improving.