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How do I run docker compose on Bazzite?

I'm not really sure where the right place to ask is, but I figure this is a good place for docker related questions.

I have recently installed Bazzite as my daily driver, previously I was on Nobara. The main difference here is that Bazzite is immutable, so you can't (or shouldn't) install stuff in the normal way as it may get overwritten by updates.

I have a bunch of docker compose YAML files. I want to run these locally. But I also don't want to tweak anything in the files to get them running because they should be able to be copied to a prod environment as is or the local test environment isn't a good test. Prod would be either my Linux Mint server or an Ubuntu Server one.

Bazzite has a ujust script available for installing docker, but this doesn't include docker compose, and I'm not sure how to add that in.

Searching online shows everyone saying just use podman, it comes pre-installed and is a drop in replacement. The problem is that it doesn't work.

Maybe that's my question, why isn't my compose.yaml working with podman?

For example, the container gives me a bunch of messages about missing environment variables, but they are set in the compose.yaml.

I also get a bunch of permissions errors. E.g. here is the mariadb trying to access a directory and then trying to change the ownership:

 
    
[db]         | find: ‘/var/lib/mysql/’: Permission denied
[db]         | chown: changing ownership of '/var/lib/mysql/': Permission denied

  

Volumes are all bind mounts. After the container created the local directories, I set all the permissions to 777 as a test and took the containers down then up and it still complains about permissions.

I feel like there is something specific to podman or Bazzite I'm not understanding. Any help?

I'm also happy to take suggestions on other ways to use docker compose in Bazzite.

Thanks in advance!

Edit: I have solved this by adding a Z flag to my bind mounts (./localdir:/containerdir:Z) as per this answer.

20 comments
  • Podman runs rootless containers, this means their permissions do not work like docker, and it is not in fact a drop-in replacement for docker as you've discovered. The rootless containers are the key difference. You could try to run a rootful container instead, or if you read this thread by someone encountering the same issue as it sounds like you are running into including using mode 777 maybe their comment later on with the solution for them might help you too. But yes, podman is not exactly a drop-in replacement for docker in my experience. It is quite different, though mostly compatible.

    • this means their permissions do not work like docker, and it is not in fact a drop-in replacement for docker

      It might a drop-in replacement for Docker if you're running Docker in rootless mode? Not sure how common that is, though.

    • As far as I can tell, you just run the command with sudo to run as root? But this doesn't help, I have been using sudo.

      Edit: I think this is solved, someone else mentioned using the Z flag on the bind mount declaration and it seems to be working!

    • Thanks, I will have a go at trying to get it running as a rootful container!

20 comments