Toolbx

What it does

Container distributions

Toolbx can create environments for Arch, Fedora, RHEL, and Ubuntu, with documented distribution and release combinations.checked 5 Oct 2026

Container foundation

Toolbx is built on Podman and other standard container technologies from OCI.checked 5 Oct 2026

Development use

Separate /usr filesystems let developers install tools in containers so project environments do not clash with the host OS.checked 5 Oct 2026

Host access

Toolbx environments can access the user’s home directory, display sockets, networking, removable devices, system journal, SSH agent, D-Bus, and other host resources.checked 5 Oct 2026

Installation

Toolbx is installed by default on Fedora Silverblue and Workstation; on other operating systems it can be installed through a toolbox or podman-toolbox package.checked 5 Oct 2026

Integrations

GNOME Builder integrates Toolbx for building and testing desktop applications inside a selected container.checked 5 Oct 2026

Not a secure development environment

The project lists a secure development environment as a non-goal.checked 5 Oct 2026

Purpose

Toolbx provides interactive Linux command line environments for software development and host troubleshooting without installing tools on the host.checked 5 Oct 2026

Requirement

Toolbx requires Podman 1.6.4 or later and optionally supports Skopeo 1.10.0 or later.checked 5 Oct 2026

Security configuration

Toolbx documentation says host user IDs and account details are propagated into containers and SELinux label separation is disabled.checked 5 Oct 2026

Security scope

Toolbx says it makes no promise of security beyond what is available in the usual host command line environment.checked 5 Oct 2026

Support and community

The project points users to Matrix for discussion, GitHub Issues for issues, and a private vulnerability reporting option for security issues.checked 5 Oct 2026

Supported distributions

The project regularly tests Arch Linux, Fedora, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.5 or later, and Ubuntu as host distributions.checked 5 Oct 2026

Terminal integration

Ptyxis can open selected Toolbx containers and make the same containers accessible from an IDE.checked 5 Oct 2026