distrobox

View documentation for creating containers

$ tldr distrobox-create

$ tldr distrobox-list

$ tldr distrobox-enter

$ tldr distrobox-host-exec

$ tldr distrobox-export

$ tldr distrobox-upgrade

$ tldr distrobox-stop

$ tldr distrobox-rm

distrobox [OPTIONS] SUBCOMMAND [ARGS]

-h, --help
    Print help and exit

-V, --version
    Print version and exit

-v, --verbose
    Increase verbosity (repeatable: -v, -vv, -vvv)

-q, --quiet
    Reduce output verbosity

-r, --root
    Operate as root (not recommended)

-c, --container-manager
    Use specific manager: podman|docker|nerdctl (default: podman)

create
    Create distrobox container from image

enter | sh | shell | bash | zsh | fish
    Enter interactive shell in container

export
    Export app from container to host

list | ls
    List all distrobox containers

rm | remove | delete | erase
    Remove distrobox container

stop
    Stop running distrobox container

start
    Start stopped distrobox container

reset
    Reset container to factory state

upgrade
    Upgrade container image

assemble
    Assemble container from local directory

init
    Initialize distrobox template

Distrobox enables running any Linux distribution inside lightweight, rootless containers managed by Podman or Docker. It creates a seamless integration where applications from the container behave as if natively installed on the host system.

Containers share the user's $HOME directory, external drives, network, and display server (X11/Wayland), with support for audio, USB devices, and GPU acceleration. Export apps using distrobox-export to make them available host-wide via symlinks and binfmt_misc for architecture emulation.

Ideal for developers testing software across distros, running incompatible packages, or maintaining isolated environments without VMs or dual-booting. Containers start instantly, use minimal resources, and persist state across sessions.

Unlike VMs, distrobox offers near-native performance. It improves on tools like toolbox by supporting arbitrary distros beyond Fedora/RHEL, with easy creation from official images (e.g., ubuntu:22.04). No root needed for most operations, enhancing security.

Requires Podman/Docker with fuse-overlayfs support for rootless mode; GUI apps may need additional Wayland/X11 tweaks; not for production servers; image pulls need internet.

Developed by Luca Wehr (89luca89) starting 2021 on GitHub as evolution of toolbox/lunchbox, emphasizing multi-distro support and app exports. Gained popularity in 2022-2023 among immutable distro users (Silverblue, SteamOS); version 1.6+ added nerdctl and better ARM support.

podman(1), docker(1), toolbox(1), podman-run(1)