How to Install Podman on RHEL 8

Containerization has become a pivotal technology in modern IT infrastructure, offering flexibility and efficiency in deploying applications. Podman, a container management tool, has gained popularity for its ease of use and compatibility with Docker. If you're working with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 8, installing Podman is a straightforward process that can enhance your containerization capabilities. In this guide, we'll walk you through the steps to install Podman on RHEL 8.

Prerequisites:

Before we begin the installation process, make sure you have the following prerequisites in place:

1. Access to a terminal on your RHEL 8 system.
2. Administrative privileges (sudo or root access).

Step 1: Update Package Manager:

Start by updating the package manager to ensure you have the latest information about available packages and dependencies. Run the following command:

sudo dnf update

Step 2: Install Podman:

Once the package manager is updated, you can proceed to install Podman. Use the following command:

sudo dnf install podman

This command will download and install the Podman package along with its dependencies.

Step 3: Verify Installation:

To confirm that Podman has been successfully installed, you can check the version using the following command:

podman version

This should display information about the installed Podman version.

Step 4: Basic Podman Commands:

Now that Podman is installed, let's explore some basic commands to get you started:

• List Running Containers:

  podman ps
  

• Pulling an Image:

  podman pull [image_name]
  

• Running a Container:

  podman run -it [image_name] /bin/bash
  

Step 5: Podman System Service:

To enable Podman to start at boot, you can enable and start the Podman system service:

sudo systemctl enable --now podman

This ensures that Podman starts automatically whenever your system boots up.

More Examples:

Example 1: Running a Detached Container:

podman run -d [image_name] /path/to/your/application

This command runs a container in detached mode, allowing you to continue using the terminal.

Example 2: Mounting Volumes:

podman run -v /host/path:/container/path [image_name]

This example mounts a host directory into the container, facilitating data persistence.

Congratulations! You've successfully installed Podman on your RHEL 8 system and gained insight into basic Podman commands. Feel free to explore more advanced features and functionalities as you delve deeper into containerization. Podman provides a robust platform for managing containers in your Red Hat environment.