Empowering Containerization with Podman

Introduction

An open-source Linux utility for working with containers is called Podman. That applies to containers stored in directories like quay.io and docker.io. To make it simple to identify, execute, build, share, and deploy applications utilizing Open Containers Initiative (OCI) Containers and Container Images, there is a daemonless, open-source tool called Podman. Anyone who has used the Docker Container Engine is familiar with the command line interface (CLI) provided by Podman. Most users will have no issues simply aliasing Docker to Podman (docker=podman). Podman uses an OCI compliant Container Runtime (runc, crun, runv, etc.) to communicate with the operating system and generate the running containers, just as other popular Container Engines (Docker, CRI-O, containerd).

Podman allows for the execution of containers by root or non-privileged users.
Using the libpod library, Podman controls the complete container ecosystem, including pods, containers, container images, and container volumes.
Pulling, tagging, and all other operations that assist you in maintaining and modifying OCI container images are the core competencies of Podman.
It enables the creation, use, and upkeep of those containers and container images in a working setting.

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Scope of Podman

At a high level, the scope of Podman and libpod is the following:

OCI and Docker images are among the many container image formats supported.
Complete management of such images includes fetching from various sources (including trusted and verified ones), building (using a Containerfile or Dockerfile or committing from a container), and pushing to registries and other storage backends.
Complete container lifecycle management, including installation, running, check pointing and restoring (using CRIU), and removal. Containers can be created from images or an exploded root filesystem.
Utilizing CNI, Netavark, and slirp4netns, fully manage container networking
Support for pods, which are collections of containers that collaborate to manage and share resources.
Support for operating pods and containers without root or other privileged access. Resource isolation of containers and pods.
Support a CLI interface that works with Docker and can execute containers locally and on distant systems.
There is no manager daemon for better security and lower resource usage when idle.

A Guide to Install and use Podman

Step 1: Create a VM with an Ubuntu server

Note: The Podman package is available in the official repositories for Ubuntu 20.10 and newer.

#sudo su

#sudo su

Update your VM by giving the following command

#sudo apt-get -y update

1	#sudo apt-get -y update

Step 2: Installing Podman

#sudo apt-get -y install podman

1	#sudo apt-get -y install podman

step2

step2b

Step 3: To check whether Podman is installed or no

#podman --version

1	#podman --version

step3

#podman ps
#podman images

1 2	#podman ps #podman images

step3b

Step 4: Pulling an image over the VM using the podman command

#podman pull docker.io/library/httpd
#podman images
#podman run -dt -p 8080:80/tcp docker.io/library/httpd
#podman ps

#podman pull docker.io/library/httpd

#podman images

#podman run -dt -p 8080:80/tcp docker.io/library/httpd

#podman ps

step4

Step 5: To check if the container is running or no

#curl http://<IP_Address>:8080

1	#curl http://<IP_Address>:8080

step5

Step 6: Kill the container

#podman kill containerID
#podman ps

1 2	#podman kill containerID #podman ps

step6

If I try to curl into again, it will fail

#curl http://<IP_Address>:8080

1	#curl http://<IP_Address>:8080

Conclusion

Podman is a quick and safe containerization solution with a command-line interface reminiscent of Docker.

It is simple to use and appropriate for contexts where a complete container orchestration system is not required because it does not require a background service or centralized daemon. It can run Docker-formatted container images without issues and supports running containers as root or non-root users. Podman provides a strong substitute for Docker in managing and deploying containers.

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FAQs

1. Is Podman a replacement for Docker?

ANS: – As an alternative to Docker, there is Podman. Users can run and manage containers using a comparable command-line interface and capabilities. However, Podman is lighter and more secure because of its unique architecture and lack of a need for a central daemon. Although Podman may run Docker-formatted container images, it is not always a direct substitute for Docker, especially when involving extensive container orchestration.

2. Can Podman run rootless containers?

ANS: – Yes, Podman’s support for rootless containers is one of its noteworthy characteristics. As a result, users can operate containers without needing root access. Rootless containers improve security by separating container activities from the host system and lowering the likelihood of container compromises.

3. Can Podman manage pods and multi-container applications?

ANS: – Yes, Podman supports managing pods, which are tightly tied groups of containers that share resources. Using pod-based workflows, Podman enables the creation, management, and deployment of multi-container applications. This makes it possible to define intricate application architectures and successfully manage their lifecycles.

4. What operating systems are supported by Podman?

ANS: – In addition to supporting several operating systems, including Linux, macOS, and even Windows (through the Windows Subsystem for Linux), Podman is made portable. It is important to remember, though, that depending on the underlying operating system, some functions or functionalities can be restricted or operate differently. In general, Linux distributions offer the finest Podman inclusion and support.

WRITTEN BY Swapnil Kumbar

Swapnil Kumbar is a Research Associate - DevOps. He knows various cloud platforms and has working experience on AWS, GCP, and azure. Enthusiast about leading technology in cloud and automation. He is also passionate about tailoring existing architecture.