Podman 4.8 debuts with over 20 new features, HyperV support, and shift to SQLite backend

Podman, the open-source tool for managing containers, pods, and images, has launched its 4.8 version, introducing over 20 new features and bug fixes. In this update, Podman machine now extends its support to HyperV as a provider on Windows, broadening its compatibility range.

In addition, the new version allows for the construction of Containerfiles containing heredoc syntax using the podman build command. This provides additional flexibility when building container images.

A significant change in the default database backend has also been implemented. Podman 4.8 now defaults to SQLite. However, for users currently utilizing BoltDB, Podman will continue to operate with Bolt, unless a manual switch to SQLite is made.

Looking ahead, the Podman team has commenced the development of Podman 5.0. This upcoming version will not only introduce a host of new features but will also bring about several breaking changes and deprecation. These include the discontinuation of the BoltDB database backend, the CNI network backend, Cgroups V1, among others. As such, users should prepare for these significant alterations in the next major release.