portablectl

List portable service images

$ portablectl list

$ portablectl attach [path/to/image]

$ portablectl detach [image_name]

$ portablectl inspect [path/to/image]

$ portablectl is-attached [image_name]

portablectl [list|attach|detach|inspect|is-attached] [options] [image]

portablectl manages systemd portable service images. Portable services are a lightweight container alternative, bundling services with their dependencies in disk images that can be attached to running systems.
Images are self-contained and can include multiple services. They're useful for deploying applications without full containerization overhead.

--copy _mode_

Copy mode: auto, copy, symlink

Use specific profile

Start/stop units immediately

Enable units after attach

list

List discovered portable service images

Attach image to system

Detach image from system

Show image details and metadata

Check attachment status

Detach and reattach image

Requires systemd 239+. Images must follow portable service format. Attachment requires root privileges. Profile controls sandboxing level.

portablectl was introduced with systemd portable services as a lightweight containerization solution. It provides isolation benefits while maintaining tight integration with the systemd service manager.

systemctl(1), machinectl(1), systemd-nspawn(1)