Developers hit gaps when adopting non-Docker container runtimes
Developers trying Podman or other alternatives to Docker run into friction across setup, CI integrations, and applications that assume Docker. The reports include rootless systemd configuration that requires manual dependency wiring, requests for native Podman support in CI tools, and apps that install Docker Desktop despite another runtime being in use. A small tool could reduce setup and compatibility guesswork, but it could not make third-party products add native runtime support.
For developers and small teams adopting Docker alternatives. Mentioned from Nov 2019 to Jul 2026 on GitHub and Hacker News.
6 different people described this problem in 6 separate discussions.
- Indie fit
- 5.0/10
- Pain
- 5.7/10
- Frequency
- 7.0/10
- Willingness to pay
- 0.0/10
- Momentum
- 5.0/10
- Who pays
- Professionals
- Competition
- Medium
- Build difficulty
- Medium
What people said
Quoted word for word. Follow a link to read the whole discussion.
As the author notes, doing this with rootless podman is a pain in the ass. If you want the containers to start with the system, then you have to have a system target which a user service waits for. The user service then has to reference each of the container quadlets in order to start them
inhumantsar on Hacker NewsFeb 2025For various reasons, we'd like to use Podman to run Actions containers instead of Docker, and we're interested in an option that would allow us to specify which container framework to use in the runner app
Build brief
See what to build and who will buy it
- 2 product ideas with the smallest useful version and pricing
- 4 places to find your first customers
- 4 more quotes from people who have this problem
- Current workarounds, existing solutions and risks