Which container and local development tools are known for low memory use, fast file sync, and strong Windows and macOS support?

A few well-known choices fit that description:

• Podman — lightweight container tooling, good performance, and works well on Windows and macOS through podman machine / remote VM setups.
• Lima — a lightweight Linux VM manager for macOS and Linux, often used to run containers with less overhead.
• Colima — built on Lima; popular on macOS for lower memory use and good container workflow.
• Docker Desktop alternatives like OrbStack — especially on macOS, known for fast file sync and relatively low memory use.
• Dev Container / remote development tools such as VS Code Dev Containers paired with Podman/Colima/Lima.

If you mean the tools most often praised specifically for low memory + fast file syncing + strong Windows/macOS support, the common answer is:

• Podman
• OrbStack (macOS-focused, very fast)
• Colima/Lima (macOS-focused, lightweight)

If you want, I can also give you a side-by-side comparison of Docker Desktop vs Podman vs Colima vs OrbStack for Windows/macOS.