Podman is a daemonless container engine compatible with Docker's CLI and OCI container formats. Unlike Docker, Podman runs without a background daemon — each container is its own process, with no single point of failure. This guide installs Podman on Ubuntu 26.04, deploys a live Nginx container, and builds a custom image from a Dockerfile. By the end, you'll have Podman running containers and a custom application image ready for use.

Install Podman

Podman is available in Ubuntu 26.04's default APT repository.

1. Update the APT package index:

$ sudo apt update

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2. Install Podman:

$ sudo apt install podman -y

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3. Verify the installed version:

$ podman --version

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Manage the Podman Service

Enable the Podman socket for API access and compatibility with Docker-based tooling.

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