Elyra
 Elyra The coding agent eTerm The terminal that knows where each command ends Starf An activity monitor for Apple silicon that never invents a number etrans An SSH and SFTP client for macOS Elyra VM Virtual machines for macOS, Linux and Windows on your Mac Litr A small, native web browser for macOS Notr A notebook for macOS e The native code editor Elyra Grove Native local development environment Askr The real server for Laravel & PHP Elyra Framework Rust + Svelte 5 framework for desktop apps Elyra Conductor Local project conductor Refr Local-first PDF workspace for macOS Elyra Workspace A desktop workspace for coding agents Elyra SQL Server MySQL-compatible SQL server in Rust Elyra Félagi Agents as teammates on one board Elyra SQL Client Native desktop SQL workbench Elyra SQL Anywhere Replication-ready SQL engine Elyra Sjá SEO & GEO workspace for macOS Elyra DataGrid Server-driven data grid for Laravel
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Using Elyra VM
Creating VMs
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Elyra
Elyra
Elyra VM
The library

The library

The library is Elyra VM's main window: every VM in one list, on frosted glass that lets the desktop show through.

 ● ● ●                                           ( ⚟  + )
   🍏  macOS 27                                      ⏸   …
    ●  4 CPU · 8 GB RAM · 7.47 GB of 1 TB · macOS 27.0.1 (26A434)
   🌱  Ubuntu 26.04                                  ▷   …
    ●  4 CPU · 8 GB RAM · 135.1 MB of 1 TB · Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS

A row

Each VM has one row:

  • The icon shows the system: an apple for macOS, four squares for Windows, a sprout for Ubuntu and other Linux, an f for Fedora.

  • The status light at the icon's corner:

    Light Meaning
    none Stopped
    green Running, starting, saving or installing
    orange Paused
    blue Suspended: saved as it was, and carries on from there when started

  • The name, and under it the summary: processors, memory, how much of the disk the VM uses on your Mac and how large the guest sees it, and the system. While a VM installs, the summary says how far it is instead: Installing macOS 27.0.1 (26A434) · 42 %, or Downloading Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS · 1.15 GB of 4.15 GB. "135.1 MB of 1 TB" means the guest sees a 1 TB disk and 135.1 MB of it is written.

  • The button at the right:

    VM is Button Does
    Stopped or suspended ▷ Starts it (a suspended VM carries on where it was)
    Running ⏸ Pauses it
    Paused ▷ Resumes it
    Starting, saving or installing ▷, greyed Nothing until it is done

  • … opens the VM's menu (below).

Click a row to select it; double-click to start the VM, or to bring its window forward if it runs.

The VM's menu (…)

Item When Does
Start / Resume / Show Window not while starting or saving Starts a stopped VM, resumes a suspended or paused one, or brings a running VM's window forward
Pause running Freezes the VM; it keeps its memory
Suspend running or paused Saves the VM as it is and closes its window
Shut Down running or paused Asks the guest to shut down, as a power button does
Force Stop running, paused, starting or saving Turns the VM off at once, as pulling the plug does
Stop Installing installing Ends the install; a download carries on at the next start
Settings… ⌘I always The VM's settings window (VM settings)
Take Snapshot running, paused, shut down or suspended Saves the VM as it is (Snapshots)
Duplicate ⌘D always A clone right below it (Creating VMs)
Show in Finder VMs on disk Selects the VM's .elyravm folder in Finder
Eject Installer stopped, with an installer Takes the ISO out, so the VM boots from its disk
Move to Trash ⌘⌫ stopped or suspended Asks, then moves the VM to the Trash

The toolbar

The pill at the top right holds two buttons:

  • Sliders: the selected VM's settings, in a window of their own (VM settings). Greyed out when no VM is selected.
  • +: a new VM (Creating VMs).

The rest of the top of the window moves the window when dragged, and zooms it when double-clicked, as a title bar does.

Keeping up with the VMs

Each VM runs in a process of its own. The library asks each of them what it is doing a few times a second, so the list follows VMs started, paused or suspended anywhere: from their own windows, from the command line or by an agent. VMs keep running when the library is closed, and are in the list as running when it opens again. VMs made elsewhere (by elyravm import, or an agent) join the list within a few seconds, and VMs whose folders are moved or put in the Trash outside Elyra VM leave it, unless they run.

If a VM that the library started ends with an error, the library says so, with the reason the VM's process gave (for example “Mac” could not start: macOS VMs can't be started yet).

A VM folder copied in Finder (or put back from a backup beside the original) is a VM of its own: the library gives the copy an identity of its own as it finds it, as Duplicate would.

Light and dark

The library follows the system's appearance. The glass takes on the colours of whatever is behind the window.

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