Distrobox

Last updated

Distrobox
Original author Luca Di Maio
Developer Distrobox community
Initial release2 December 2021;4 years ago (2021-12-02)
Stable release
1.8.2.3 [1] / 17 January 2026;1 day ago (17 January 2026)
Repository
Written in Shell language
Operating system Linux
Type OS-level virtualization
License GNU GPLv3
Website distrobox.it

Distrobox is an open source application container for Linux used to run software packaged for certain Linux distribution on another distribution. [2] The application relies on container managers such as Docker, Podman, and Lilipod and act as wrapper for them. [2] [3] [4] Distrobox is written in POSIX shell. [2]

Contents

Software installed inside the container can be exported into the host machine for easier access. Distrobox can be used to run graphical software. [5]

History

The first public release of Distrobox was released in 2021. [2]

Version 1.1.0 of Distrobox was released in December 2021, adding features and improvements such as ability to export containerised software into the host machine and better POSIX compatibility. [6]

Version 1.3.0 of Distrobox was released in May 2022, adding more supported distributions and better integration with the host machine. [5] [7]

Version 1.8.2.0 of Distrobox was released in October 2025, adding enhancements for Bash completion. [2] [8]

Design and security

Distrobox is designed for tight integration with the host machine, [9] with isolation and sandbox being non-goals for the project. [2] Proposed addition of sandboxed mode was discussed but Luca Di Maio decided against it. [2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Release 1.8.2.3". 17 January 2026. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Brockmeier, Joe (10 December 2025). "Mix and match Linux distributions with Distrobox". LWN.net . Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  3. ↑ Patel, Pratham (14 June 2022). "Distrobox: Try Multiple Linux Distributions via the Terminal". It's FOSS. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  4. ↑ Peacock, Graeme (1 June 2025). "How I Break Linux's Rules and Install Any Package on Any Distro". How-To Geek. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  5. 1 2 Proven, Liam (31 May 2022). "Distrobox 1.3.0: Run (pretty much) any Linux distro under almost any other". The Register . Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  6. ↑ 89luca89. "Release 1.1.0". GitHub. Retrieved 17 January 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ↑ 89luca89. "Release 1.3.0". GitHub. Retrieved 17 January 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ↑ 89luca89. "Release 1.8.2.0". GitHub. Retrieved 17 January 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ↑ Carrasqueira, João (15 August 2025). "Distrobox is the greatest way to try other Linux distros in your Terminal". XDA. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
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