Podman TUI
https://github.com/containers/podman-tui- Category
- Developer Tools
- Rank
- No. 708Tools index
- Pricing
- Open Source
- Type
- TOOL
- Builder
- containers
- GitHub
- 1.2k stars
- Latest release
- v2.0.0
- Date
About
Terminal UI for managing Podman containers, pods, images, networks, and volumes.
What it does
Podman TUI turns a terminal into a keyboard-driven operations console. It connects through Podman’s Go bindings to a local Unix socket or a remote machine over SSH, then keeps views current using health checks, events, and refresh loops.
Why it's ranked here
The case for choosing it is strong when Podman is already your runtime and the terminal is your workspace. It combines local and remote connections, direct resource actions, connection health, system information, sorting, and fast keyboard navigation. Its narrow Podman focus and required socket setup make it less useful as a general container operations layer.
What's good
The interface covers routine work without forcing command recall. Dedicated screens, command and sort menus, help, connection management, event updates, and system usage information sit in one application. Vim-style movement and function-key shortcuts support fast navigation. Installation options span native packages, source builds, and a container image.
Tradeoffs
Podman’s socket service must already be running, so installation alone does not produce a working session. Remote SSH keys with passphrases require an environment variable containing the passphrase. Windows support is limited to PowerShell and standard ANSI colors. Release lines are tied to corresponding major Podman versions, which adds compatibility planning during upgrades.
How to use it well
Use it as an interactive cockpit for engineers who operate Podman locally or across a small set of SSH-connected machines. Configure named connections, select a default, and keep the system screen available for connection state and events. It complements command-line automation, but does not replace scripts, unattended workflows, or the Podman service it connects to.
Technical notes+
main.go delegates startup to cmd.Execute. cmd/root.go defines the Cobra CLI, debug logging flags, passphrase environment handling, and application launch. app/app.go composes tview and tcell screens for help, system, pods, containers, volumes, images, networks, and secrets, while app/refresh.go handles connection-aware polling and event-driven updates. go.mod declares Go 1.25.6 and Podman v6 bindings. The Makefile builds static native, Windows, and Darwin binaries with CGO disabled, plus Ginkgo unit tests and Bats functionality tests. docs/install.md separately says source builds require Go 1.20 or newer and its container-image section says Go 1.17 or newer, so the documented build requirements are inconsistent with each other and with go.mod.
Observed
- License
- Apache License 2.0
- Primary language
- Go
- Interface
- Keyboard-driven terminal application with a Cobra command-line entry point
- Platform support
- Source builds target Linux, Windows, and macOS; Windows support is documented for PowerShell only
- Installation surface
- Linux distribution packages, Homebrew, Nix, WinGet, source builds, and a container image are documented
- Connectivity
- Uses Podman Go bindings with local Unix socket and remote SSH connection configurations
- Testing structure
- The build system defines Ginkgo unit tests and Bats functionality tests
Read from go.mod, Makefile, main.go, docs/README.md, docs/install.md, docs/SECURITY.md, docs/MAINTAINERS.md, docs/CONTRIBUTING.md, docs/CODE-OF-CONDUCT.md, doc.go, app/app.go, app/init.go, app/menu.go, cmd/root.go, app/refresh.go.
What it can do
Manage Podman containers
Container commands and configurations → Container lifecycle operations (start, stop, create, delete)
Manage Podman pods
Pod specifications and commands → Pod operations (create, start, stop, remove pods)
Manage container images
Image names, tags, and registry information → Image operations (pull, push, build, remove images)
Manage container networks
Network configurations and parameters → Network operations (create, connect, disconnect, remove networks)
Manage container volumes
Volume specifications and mount points → Volume operations (create, mount, unmount, remove volumes)
Display container system status
System queries and filters → Real-time status information of containers, pods, images, networks, and volumes
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Editorially curated, with community endorsements as a secondary signal. Corrections welcome.