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Shifter

C
C tier on Container EnginesScore 5.6· #31of 32
Runs on
api, Linux, self-hosted
github.com
The Shifter homepage
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Summary

Shifter is ranked #31 of 32 in container engines on Everything Xiaomi. It runs on API, Linux, Self-hosted.

Compared on container engines

Image building
Nogithub.com
Image format
dockergithub.com
Runtime interface
othergithub.com
Supported host OS
Linux, including SUSE Linux, RHEL/CentOS/Scientific Linux, and Debian/Ubuntugithub.com

Facts

Purpose
Shifter adapts Linux container concepts for extreme-scale high-performance computing and lets users run their own software environments at supercomputing facilities.github.com · 11 Oct 2026
Container images
Users can create their software environments typically with Docker, and Shifter supports sharing HPC software through Docker and the Docker Hub community.github.com · 11 Oct 2026
Architecture
The project includes a compute-node utility, an image gateway that pulls and repacks registry images, and example scripts or plugins for batch scheduler integration.github.com · 11 Oct 2026
Intended outcomes
The project aims to simplify software deployment, enable portable environments, support repeatable science, and improve system utilization by optimizing software delivery and I/O bottlenecks.github.com · 11 Oct 2026
Security model
Shifter uses privileged operations to set up containers; its security documentation says processes launched in a container have privileges stripped and should not be able to re-escalate.github.com · 11 Oct 2026
Security guidance
The documentation recommends avoiding privileged processes in containers and using the most recent Shifter version.github.com · 11 Oct 2026
Authentication
Access to the image gateway API requires authentication using Munge.github.com · 11 Oct 2026
Scheduler integration
The project provides example scripts and plugins for integrating Shifter with batch scheduler systems.github.com · 11 Oct 2026
Support
The project README directs users to its Google Groups email list for updates and community support.github.com · 11 Oct 2026
Contribution channel
The README directs contributors to a Slack channel and says code can be submitted through GitHub pull requests.github.com · 11 Oct 2026
License
The repository license permits redistribution and use in source and binary forms subject to stated conditions and disclaimers.github.com · 11 Oct 2026
How it works
Shifter has a compute-node utility, an image gateway that pulls and repacks registry images, and example scripts or plugins for batch schedulers.github.com · 11 Oct 2026
Image registries
NERSC documentation says users can pull images from Docker Hub or NERSC's private registry, which the image manager converts to a flattened format for compute nodes.docs.nersc.gov · 11 Oct 2026
Performance
NERSC says Shifter's loop-mount approach moves metadata operations to compute nodes and improves performance for workloads that load many shared libraries.docs.nersc.gov · 11 Oct 2026
Batch integration
The repository includes example integrations for workload managers, and NERSC's usage documentation shows Shifter jobs submitted with Slurm.github.com · 11 Oct 2026
MPI
NERSC documents an MPICH integration that swaps Cray libraries into images at runtime for multi-node communication, subject to image compatibility requirements.docs.nersc.gov · 11 Oct 2026
Volume mounts
Users can mount existing directories into an image with a volume option, including paths for data and job output.docs.nersc.gov · 11 Oct 2026
Image limits
NERSC says images larger than about 20 GB will likely time out when uploaded to Docker Hub and recommends contacting support for images over 20 GB.docs.nersc.gov · 11 Oct 2026
Runtime privilege
The security documentation says container processes are stripped of privileges after launch and should not be able to regain them.github.com · 11 Oct 2026
Security controls
The project documentation describes nosuid mounts, restricting process capabilities to the null set, and attempting to apply Linux no_new_privs on newer systems.github.com · 11 Oct 2026
Current status
NERSC says it still supports Shifter but eventually plans to phase it out in favor of podman-hpc.docs.nersc.gov · 11 Oct 2026

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