Linux containers have made it reasonably easy to develop, distribute, and deploy server applications along with all the distribution dependencies that they need. For example, anyone can deploy and run a Debian-based PostgreSQL container on a Fedora Linux host. Distrobox is a project that is designed to bring the cross-distribution compatibility to the desktop and allow users to mix-and-match Linux distributions without fussing with dual-booting, virtual machines, or multiple computers. It is an ideal way to install additional software on image-based systems, such as Fedora’s Atomic Desktops or Bazzite, and also provides a convenient way to move a development environment or favorite applications to a new system.

Distrobox creator Luca Di Maio was inspired by the Toolbx project (formerly Container Toolbox) for Fedora. Generally, the idea with Linux containers is to run processes in their own environment to isolate them as much as possible from the host without having to resort to virtual machines with their additional overhead. It is possible, though, to set up a container to give it privileged access to the system with little to no isolation. This is typically referred to as a privileged container. It is possible to set up privileged containers manually, but it requires the user to know a great deal about working with containers and some fairly involved setup. The original goal for Toolbx was to let users run a privileged container “toolbox” on image-based systems that could be used for system administration and troubleshooting without having to include administration utilities in the image itself.

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