Podman is a container management tool that requires no daemons, supports rootless running and is compatible with Docker commands. It is suitable for Linux users who pursue security and simplicity. 1. Simple installation, mainstream distributions can be installed directly through the package manager; 2. Common commands such as podman run, ps, pull, build, etc. are consistent with Docker, without learning costs; 3. Support rootless containers to improve security and avoid permission problems; 4. Pods can be created to share network and storage, simulate Kubernetes environment; 5. Systemd service files can be generated to realize the container booting and self-start. In summary, Podman is a lightweight, safe and efficient Docker alternative, especially suitable for local development and CI/CD scenarios, and is worth adopting in daily work.

Linux containers have become a go-to solution for lightweight, portable application deployment — and while Docker is well-known, Podman is emerging as a powerful, daemonless alternative that fits seamlessly into modern workflows. If you're looking to get started with containers on Linux without the overhead of a daemon or tight coupling to Docker, Podman is a solid choice.

Here's a practical guide to help you start using Podman for everyday container tasks.

What Is Podman and Why Use It?

Podman (short for Pod Manager ) is a container management tool developed by Red Hat that provides a Docker-compatible CLI experience — but without requiring a background daemon. Unlike Docker, which runs a central dockerd process, Podman runs containers directly as your user, improving security and simplifying system integration.

Key advantages:

• No daemon needed : Reduces attack surface and avoids permission issues.
• Rootless containers : Run containers as a regular user, enhancing security.
• Drop-in Docker replacement : Most docker commands work with podman (eg, podman run , podman build ).
• Pod support : Like Kubernetes, you can group containers into pods for better orchestration.

If you're on a modern Linux distro (Fedora, RHEL, Ubuntu 20.04 , etc.), Podman is likely already available or easily installable.

 # On Fedora/RHEL
sudo dnf install podman

# On Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install podman

Basic Podman Commands (Docker Users Will Feel at Home)

Podman mimics Docker's CLI, so if you've used Docker before, you'll recognize most commands.

1. Run a Container

 podman run hello-world

This downloads and runs the hello-world image. No sudo needed — it just works.

2. List Running Containers

 podman ps

Like Docker, this shows active containers. Add -a to include stopped ones.

3. Pull an Image

 podman pull ubuntu:22.04

Fetches the image from a registry (defaults to Docker Hub).

4. Start an Interactive Session

 podman run -it ubuntu:22.04 /bin/bash

Launches an Ubuntu container with an interactive shell.

5. Run in Detached Mode

 podman run -d -p 8080:80 nginx

Starts Nginx in the background and maps port 8080 on the host.

You can verify it's running:

 podman ps

Managing Images and Containers

Podman gives you full control over your container lifecycle.

List and Remove Images

 podman images
podman rmi <image-id>

Stop and Remove Containers

 podman stop <container-id>
podman rm <container-id>

You can chain commands:

 podman rm $(podman ps -aq) # Remove all stopped containers

Save and Share Containers

Want to export a container as an image?

 podman commit <container-id> my-custom-app
podman save my-custom-app | gzip > my-app.tar.gz

Later, load it on another machine:

 gunzip -c my-app.tar.gz | podman load

Build Container Images with Podman

Podman supports building images from Dockerfiles using podman build .

Example:

 # Dockerfile
FROM alpine
RUN apk add --no-cache curl
CMD ["curl", "https://httpbin.org/json"]

Build it:

 podman build -t my-curl-app .

Run it:

 podman run my-curl-app

? Tip: Use --format docker if you want Docker-compatible image formatting:

 podman build --format docker -t myapp .

Rootless Containers and Security

One of Podman's biggest strengths is rootless operation . By default, containers run under your user account, not as root.

This means:

• No need to add users to a docker group.
• Better isolation and reduced privilege escalation risks.
• Works well in restricted environments (eg, shared servers, CI pipelines).

Under the hood, Podman uses user namespaces and slirp4netns for networking when running rootless. For most use cases, this "just works" — but if you hit a network issue, check that slirp4netns is installed.

Working with Pods (Like Mini Kubernetes)

Podman supports pods , which let you group containers that share the same network and storage — just like in Kubernetes.

Create a pod:

 podman pod create --name myweb -p 8080:80

Run a container inside it:

 podman run -d --pod myweb nginx

Add another container (eg, a logging sidecar):

 podman run -d --pod myweb alpine watch 'date >> /shared/log.txt'

Now both containers share the same network namespace — they can talk via localhost .

Clean up:

 podman pod rm myweb -f

This is great for testing multi-container apps locally without Docker Compose or Kubernetes.

Integrating with Systemd (Bonus: Auto-start Containers)

Podman can generate systemd unit files to manage containers as services.

Example: Auto-start an Nginx container at boot.

1. Run the container:

    podman run -d --name nginx-server -p 80:80 nginx

2. Generate a systemd service:

    podman generate systemd --name nginx-server --files --new

   This creates a .service file in /tmp or current directory.

3. Move it to systemd:

    mv container-nginx-server.service ~/.config/systemd/user/

4. Enable and start:

    systemctl --user enable container-nginx-server.service
   systemctl --user start container-nginx-server.service

   Now your container starts automatically when you log in (or boot, with lingering enabled).

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   Bottom Line

   Podman is a mature, secure, and practical tool for managing containers on Linux. Whether you're a developer, sysadmin, or DevOps engineer, it's worth trying — especially if you value simplicity, security, and compatibility.

   You can use it as a direct Docker replacement with no learning curve, benefit from rootless containers , and even simulate Kubernetes-style pods for local development.

   Give it a spin next time you reach for Docker. You might not look back.

   Basically that's all— no magic, just better defaults.

   The above is the detailed content of A Practical Introduction to Linux Containers with Podman. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!