Podman Container Management

Podman is an open-source container engine, highly compatible with Docker, but with two key advantages:

• Daemonless: Unlike Docker, which relies on a persistent root daemon, Podman runs containers as ordinary processes, reducing the attack surface.
• Rootless operation: Ordinary users can run containers without root, improving security.

Debian 13's official repositories include Podman, making installation very simple without adding third-party sources.

Installation

sudo apt update
sudo apt install podman

# Verify
podman --version

If you need docker-compose style orchestration, you can install additionally:

sudo apt install podman-compose

Basic Usage

Podman's command line closely mirrors Docker:

# Run a container
podman run -d --name web -p 8080:80 docker.io/library/nginx

# List running containers
podman ps

# List all containers (including stopped)
podman ps -a

# List local images
podman images

# View logs / enter container
podman logs web
podman exec -it web bash

# Stop and remove
podman stop web
podman rm web

Note: Podman by default explicitly writes the image registry prefix (e.g. docker.io/library/nginx). You can configure default registries to search in /etc/containers/registries.conf.

Docker Command Compatibility

If you are used to the docker command, you can install the compatibility package to make docker an alias for podman:

sudo apt install podman-docker

Afterwards, commands like docker run ..., docker ps will be forwarded directly to Podman.

Rootless Containers

Running podman directly as a normal user puts it into rootless mode, requiring no extra configuration — this is Podman's biggest advantage over Docker. Verify:

# Run as a normal user (not sudo)
podman run --rm docker.io/library/alpine echo "Hello from rootless Podman"

Rootless mode relies on user namespaces. Debian 13 enables them by default; if you encounter subuid/subgid errors, ensure your user has entries in /etc/subuid and /etc/subgid:

grep "$USER" /etc/subuid /etc/subgid
# If not, add manually (usually auto-configured during installation)
sudo usermod --add-subuids 100000-165535 --add-subgids 100000-165535 "$USER"

Pods: Native Group Management

Podman takes its name from Pod (like the Kubernetes Pod concept) — it allows grouping multiple containers together, sharing a network namespace:

# Create a pod and expose a port
podman pod create --name mypod -p 8080:80

# Add a container to the pod
podman run -d --pod mypod docker.io/library/nginx

Managing Containers with systemd (Quadlet)

To have containers start at boot and be managed by the system, use Quadlet. Create .container unit files in ~/.config/containers/systemd/ (rootless) or /etc/containers/systemd/ (system-wide):

# ~/.config/containers/systemd/web.container
[Container]
Image=docker.io/library/nginx
PublishPort=8080:80

[Install]
WantedBy=default.target

Then reload and start:

systemctl --user daemon-reload
systemctl --user start web

Podman vs Docker Quick Comparison

Summary

• Just sudo apt install podman, no third-party repositories needed.
• Commands are compatible with Docker; you can use podman-docker to forward docker commands directly.
• Ordinary users can run rootless, and combined with Quadlet, containers can be managed by systemd.

Further reading: Docker Installation and Usage · Virtualization