podman-load

Load an image from a tar file

$ podman load [[-i|--input]] [path/to/file.tar]

$ podman load [[-i|--input]] [path/to/file.tar[.gz|.bz2|.xz|.zst]]

$ podman load [[-q|--quiet]] [[-i|--input]] [path/to/file.tar]

$ podman < [path/to/file.tar] load

podman load [options] [IMAGEFILE ...]

-i, --input
    Read image tarball from standard input (default without files).

-q, --quiet
    Suppress progress and output information.

--authfile=path
    Path to authentication file (rare for load).

--cert-dir=path
    Directory for TLS certificates to access registries.

--signature-policy=path
    JSON policy file for verifying image signatures.

--stream
    Stream from stdin without temporary storage (local only).

--url=URL
    Connect to remote Podman service.

The podman load command imports one or more OCI-compliant container images from tarball archive files into Podman's local image storage. Archives are usually generated by podman save, enabling offline image transfer between machines, ideal for air-gapped networks or backup scenarios.

By default, it reads from named files or standard input if none specified. It extracts image layers, manifests, and configs, making images available for podman run, podman tag, or inspection via podman image ls. Supports multi-image archives and streaming via --stream for memory efficiency.

Key benefits include rootless operation without elevated privileges, unlike Docker load, and integration with Podman's storage backends like OverlayFS. For signed images, use --signature-policy to verify against a policy file, enhancing security. Quiet mode aids scripting. Primarily local use, with limited remote support excluding streaming.

Use cases: CI/CD image staging, disaster recovery, or distributing proprietary images without registries. Always ensure archives are trusted to avoid injecting malicious layers.

Requires valid OCI tar format; invalid archives fail silently. --stream incompatible with remote Podman and --input. No automatic signature verification without policy. Rootless users limited by storage quotas.

podman load image.tar
podman load < image.tar
podman save -o image.tar alpine && podman load image.tar
cat image.tar | podman load --stream -q

Loaded image: sha256:... example:registry/image:tag

Introduced in Podman 1.0 (2018) by Red Hat as daemonless Docker alternative. Enhanced in v3+ for OCI 1.0 compliance, streaming, and signature support. Now in containers/image library for broader tooling.

podman-save(1), podman-pull(1), podman-images(1), skopeo-copy(1)