Podman: Containers That Don’t Need a Babysitter

Not every container runtime needs a daemon lurking in the background. That’s where Podman flips the script. It doesn’t try to be Docker — though it often feels like it — but instead offers a different approach: no central service, no root by default, and no fuss.

You type podman run, and it just… starts the container. No dockerd, no socket, no background process you forgot to restart. It’s all handled by the process that launches it — and when that ends, so does the container.

Simple, right? But that simplicity opens doors in ways Docker often can’t.

Why It’s Not Just “Another Docker Alternative”

The real kicker is that Podman runs containers as regular processes. No daemon sitting around. It hands off everything to the kernel and gets out of the way. Want to run containers as a non-root user? Go ahead. Want to write a systemd service file that runs a container like a native Linux service? There’s a built-in for that.

Basically, if you want to control your containers like any other system process — not through some API middleman — Podman gives you that.

Stuff Podman Does (Without Needing Root)

– Pulls and runs container images from Docker Hub, Quay, or anywhere else

– Starts containers in pods (yes, like Kubernetes — actual pods)

– Runs with your UID, so files inside the container don’t belong to root

– Builds images using Dockerfiles (podman build)

– Handles networks via CNI, not some magic bridge you can’t trace

– Integrates with systemd (podman generate systemd)

– Supports volumes, binds, ports, everything you’d expect

When It Starts to Shine

If you’re on a shared system and want to avoid root access altogether, Podman’s your friend. If you’re working on a hardened environment where background services are a no-go, Podman fits. If you’re building systemd-based containers or services with tight integration into Linux, it becomes the obvious choice.

It’s also the default on many Red Hat–based systems now. You don’t need to go looking for it — it’s already there.

Install and Go (Debian/Ubuntu Example)

sudo apt update
sudo apt install podman

Then something like:

podman run –rm -it registry.access.redhat.com/ubi8/ubi bash

Done. No daemon started. No “service docker start”. Just a container, running in your shell, exiting when you exit.

Real Observations from Actual Admins

“I don’t trust long-running daemons on staging servers. Podman lets me use containers without opening that door.”

“We pushed out Podman to our developer boxes. They didn’t notice the difference — except that things were cleaner.”

“Being able to run containers under systemd and actually understand what’s happening? Kind of refreshing.”

Limitations (Just So You Know)

– Docker Compose is still kind of an edge case (but podman-compose or quadlet cover most needs)

– On Windows and macOS, it’s not rootless — it runs inside a VM, like Docker Desktop

– Some ecosystem tools only speak Docker — compatibility is good, but not perfect

Still, for Linux-native setups, dev boxes, automation scripts, and hardened environments, Podman’s one of the cleanest ways to run containers today.