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On the recordRead 11 Oct 202619 facts
systemd-nspawn
Plans and prices
systemd-nspawn
Free
No paid plan or usage limits stated on the pages reviewed
Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com
On the record
- Configuration
- Per-container .nspawn files provide persistent settings, and command-line options take precedence over those settings by default.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Container images
- It can run from a directory tree or a disk image, and searches /var/lib/machines/ for named machine images.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Container inputs
- It can use an operating system directory tree or a disk image as the container root.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Container interface
- systemd-nspawn implements the systemd Container Interface specification.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Container isolation
- It virtualizes the filesystem hierarchy, process tree, IPC subsystems, hostname, and domain name.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Execution modes
- It can run interactively from the command line or as a background system service.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Image safety
- For .nspawn settings files found next to an image or container root, settings that elevate privileges or grant additional host access are ignored by default.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Integration
- Running containers register with systemd-machined, which tracks them and provides programming interfaces to interact with them.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Isolation
- It virtualizes the filesystem hierarchy, process tree, IPC subsystems, and host and domain names.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- License
- The systemd repository includes an LGPL 2.1 license file.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Management integration
- Running containers can be registered with systemd-machined and interacted with through machinectl.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Persistent settings
- Optional .nspawn files store per-container settings that can also be set on the command line.freedesktop.org · read 11 Oct 2026
- Platform
- systemd-nspawn is documented as a Linux container tool and requires a Linux system to run.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- systemd-nspawn runs a command or a full Linux-based operating system in a lightweight namespace container.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Security
- For untrusted code, the manual says to use a user namespace because the sandbox can be circumvented without one.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Service management
- A [email protected] template can run each container as a system service, and machinectl can manage containers.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
- Settings safety
- Settings discovered beside an image or container root ignore options that elevate privileges or grant additional host resource access.freedesktop.org · read 11 Oct 2026
- Support
- The systemd project lists its mailing list, IRC channel, and Matrix channel as support options.github.com · read 11 Oct 2026
