CiderMill

Business Profile

Core Value Proposition

CiderMill provides ephemeral macOS VM runners for GitHub Actions to deliver build isolation and macOS ARM64 CI support.

Target Customer

CI engineers and software teams needing macOS ARM64 CI, open source projects that rely on GitHub Actions (e.g., pyca/cryptography)

Key Differentiator

Ephemeral macOS VM runners that bootstrap fresh macOS VMs via Packer using Tart, register ephemeral GitHub Actions runners inside each VM, and cycle after each job; built for in-house use with a focus on macOS ARM64 and GitHub Actions integration

Implementation Timeline

Not specified in the content

Pain Points

1Need for macOS ARM64 CI with build isolation
2Desire to have reproducible, isolated CI environments for macOS workloads
3Difficulty integrating macOS ARM64 CI into existing primary CI pipelines

Key Features

1Boots one or more fresh macOS VMs using custom Packer scripts with Tart
2Installs and registers an ephemeral GitHub Actions runner inside the VM
3Waits for the job to finish and then recreates the VM for the next run
4Provides build isolation and macOS ARM64 CI integration with GitHub Actions
5Single hardware setup demonstrated on a 16GB M1 Mini; scalable by running multiple instances

Target Customer Industries

1Technology

Decision Makers

1CI Engineer

Client Results

1Enables integrating macOS ARM64 CI into a project’s primary CI (e.g., pyca/cryptography)
2Delivers isolated, ephemeral macOS VM runners for GitHub Actions
3Offers scalability by adding more VM instances as needed

Competitive Advantages

1Ephemeral, isolated macOS ARM64 CI environments
2Tight integration with GitHub Actions ecosystem
3Automated VM provisioning and lifecycle management via Packer + Tart
4Scalability through multiple VM instances
5In-house control over macOS ARM64 CI environments

Key Benefits

1Isolated, ephemeral macOS ARM64 CI environments

2Seamless GitHub Actions integration

3Scalable with multiple VM instances

4Automated VM provisioning via Packer and Tart

Case Studies & Success Stories

Integration of macOS ARM64 CI in pyca/cryptography using CiderMill

Case #1

CiderMill enabled integrating macOS arm64 CI into the project's primary CI, relaxing constraints and improving workflow

Additional Product Information

Product Description

Ephemeral macOS VM runners for GitHub Actions, enabling build isolation for macOS ARM64 workloads; boots fresh macOS VMs, registers ephemeral runners, and re-runs for each job.

Target Market

Developers and teams using GitHub Actions who require macOS ARM64 CI, particularly open source projects and CI engineers

Unique Value Proposition

Provides isolated, ephemeral macOS VM runners on Apple Silicon hardware for GitHub Actions, enabling seamless macOS ARM64 CI integration with controlled lifecycle

Technical Requirements

macOS ARM64 (Apple Silicon) runners; self-hosted GitHub Actions runners inside VMs; Packer scripts; Tart; Apple’s Virtualization.framework; hardware (e.g., 16GB M1 Mini) for hosting VMs

Pricing Model

Not disclosed

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