Podman
Podman is an open source container engine that is designed to be an alternative to Docker. It allows users to run OCI-compliant Linux containers and build container images without relying on a daemon process like Docker does.
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ocicompliant
Podman: Open Source Container Engine
Podman is an open source container engine that is designed to be an alternative to Docker. It allows users to run OCI-compliant Linux containers and build container images without relying on a daemon process like Docker does.
What is Podman?
Podman is an open source container management tool meant to be an alternative to Docker. It allows users to run, manage, build, and share Linux containers without relying on a daemon process. Some key features and benefits of Podman include:
- Podman can run containers without a daemon, unlike Docker which requires a daemon process.
- It's more secure since containers run without root privileges and cannot break out of their defined namespaces.
- Podman generates OCI compliant containers, which Docker does not, so Podman containers are compatible with any OCI-complaint runtime, like CRI-O.
- Podman has commands that are nearly identical to Docker's, making migration relatively easy for those comfortable with Docker.
- It provides an easy integration with Kubernetes using tools like CRI-O which allows Podman containers to run in a Kubernetes cluster.
- Podman ships in many mainstream Linux distros like Fedora, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, making containerization more accessible.
Overall, Podman provides a daemonless, secure, and standards-based way to build, run, share and manage Linux containers.
Podman Features
Features
- Rootless containers - containers can run without root privileges for improved security
- Pod support - containers can be grouped into pods
- Seccomp support - restricts container system calls for hardening
- Bind mounts - bind mounts directories/files from host into container
- Network namespace support - each pod gets its own network namespace
- Image management - build, pull, push images to registries
- Remote clients - control Podman engines remotely
- Rootless SSH - access containers without being root
Pricing
- Open Source
Pros
Improved security with rootless containers
Simpler architecture without daemon
Good Docker compatibility with podman-docker CLI
Integrates well with Kubernetes CRI-O
Cons
Less mature than Docker and smaller ecosystem
Rootless limitations with host filesystem access
No native Kubernetes support like Docker
Limited Windows and Mac support currently
Official Links
The Best Podman Alternatives
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