Podman 5.8 Introduces Quadlet Multi-File Install and SQLite Migration

Podman, the open-source container engine available for Linux, macOS, and Windows, has announced the release of version 5.8, bringing important improvements, performance optimizations, and preparation for upcoming architectural changes.

BoltDB Migration Ahead of Podman 6.0

One of the most significant updates in 5.8 is the transition away from BoltDB. With its removal scheduled for Podman 6.0 (expected in May), version 5.8 automatically attempts to migrate existing BoltDB databases to SQLite during a system reboot.

If the automatic migration fails, administrators can manually trigger it using:

podman system migrate --migrate-db

Quadlet Improvements

Quadlet, which integrates Podman with systemd, receives several notable enhancements:

• The podman quadlet install command now supports files containing multiple Quadlet definitions, separated by three dashes and identified using a # FileName=<name> header.
• .container Quadlet files now include support for a new AppArmor key, allowing administrators to define a container’s AppArmor profile directly.

Additionally, new REST API endpoints have been introduced for managing Quadlets:

• GET /libpod/quadlets/{name}/file
• GET /libpod/quadlets/{name}/exists
• POST /libpod/quadlets
• DELETE /libpod/quadlets
• DELETE /libpod/quadlets/{name}

Runtime Enhancements

Podman 5.8 also improves container runtime controls:

• The podman update command now includes a --ulimit option to modify container ulimits.
• The podman exec command introduces a --no-session flag, disabling session tracking to improve startup speed and execution performance.

Faster Podman Machine Workflows

Performance gains extend to virtual machine workflows. When using podman artifact add with a VM and a shared source path, Podman now loads files directly from the VM’s filesystem instead of streaming them via the REST API, significantly improving speed.

Reliability and Kubernetes Fixes

This release includes multiple fixes to enhance container stability and Kubernetes compatibility:

• Healthcheck timing has been corrected, resolving issues where checks ran too early when initialDelaySeconds was configured and addressing failures caused by systemd rate limits.
• The podman kube play command now properly handles Pod YAML files missing an image field without crashing.
• Correct handling of variable precedence between envFrom and env.
• Fixes for --pull=newer, artifact authentication with --authfile, Windows path issues under Hyper-V, and improved volume mount reporting with plugin drivers.

API Improvements

Podman 5.8 also updates its API layer:

• Container log endpoints now provide nanosecond-level timestamp precision.
• Healthcheck commands with spaced arguments are correctly handled in the Compat Create endpoint.
• The Secrets removal endpoint name has been corrected.

For a complete list of changes and technical details, refer to the official Podman changelog.