How to Install CasaOS on macOS

I have an unused Mac at home that I use as a homelab server. Naturally, I self-host several web apps and services on it.

Usually, I use Docker and manually write docker-compose.yaml files to run web applications. It works great, but maintaining multiple docker-compose.yaml files is pretty tedious for a homelab setup.

I asked myself: is there a simpler way to install web apps on macOS? Something as simple as the macOS App Store itself?

That’s when I discovered CasaOS.

So, what exactly is CasaOS?

Based on their website, CasaOS is a self-hosted personal cloud OS for everyone. With CasaOS, you can install web apps as easily as clicking an app in an app store. It is optimized for Linux systems, but it can also be installed on macOS.

Enough chit-chat—let’s get started!

Requirements

• Homebrew Package Manager
• Docker

CasaOS Installation Steps

• Open the Terminal app.
• Install colima using the Homebrew package manager. colima is a container runtime for macOS (and Linux) with minimal setup (think of it like WSL2, but for macOS).

brew install colima

• Start the colima service with custom parameters.

colima start --vm-type=vz --network-address

• Enter the colima virtual machine via SSH.

colima ssh

• Make sure you are inside the colima VM. This is indicated by @colima in your terminal prompt.
• Inside the colima VM, install CasaOS by copying and pasting the following command.

curl -fsSL https://get.casaos.io | sudo bash

• Once the installation is complete, open a web browser and go to http://localhost/.
• You will be prompted to create a new account and password.
• Finally, have fun with it. You can now configure CasaOS, install web apps, and explore its features.

Video

I made a video to visualize the process in case you want a step-by-step walkthrough.

If you like the video, please subscribe to my channel!

Conclusion

That’s it. You can now use your spare Mac mini or MacBook at home to install and run web apps using CasaOS.

I hope this tutorial is useful for you. As usual, if you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to leave a comment below.

Thanks for reading!

References

• abiosoft/colima: Container runtimes on macOS (and Linux) with minimal setup
• CasaOS — A simple, easy-to-use, elegant open-source personal cloud system