Last checked and updated on April 15, 2026What Is New in Podman 4.8
Podman 4.8 delivers a solid set of enhancements focused on networking, container management, and developer experience. This release builds on the previous foundation with quality-of-life improvements and new capabilities.
| Category | Key Changes |
|---|---|
| New Features | New container checkpoint/restore flags, HTTP API timeouts, Podman machine image selection |
| Networking | DNS resolution for rootless containers, port forwarding for pods, Netavark/DNSname updates |
| Improvements | Image handling, volume management, SELinux support, Windows compatibility |
| Bug Fixes | Numerous fixes across containers, pods, images, and the Podman machine interface |
What networking improvements should I know about?
The networking stack gets some crucial tweaks that make daily use smoother. Rootless containers can now use the host's DNS resolvers by default, which simplifies service discovery.
You can now forward ports directly to pods with the new --pod flag for podman run and podman create. Underlying tools Netavark and DNSname were updated to 1.5.0 and 1.7.0, bringing better stability and a new netavark --version command.
How has container management evolved?
Checkpoint and restore operations are more flexible with new flags. Use --print-stats to see runtime data during checkpointing and --ignore-static-ip or --ignore-static-mac to restore a container with different network configuration.
The Podman HTTP API is now more robust with configurable timeouts. You can set --timeout for the system service command or use the PODMAN_SERVICE_TIMEOUT environment variable to prevent hung connections.
What's new for developers using Podman Machine?
Podman Machine on macOS and Windows now lets you choose your own Linux distribution image. Use the --image-path flag during initialization to boot a VM with a custom Fedora CoreOS or other compatible image.
This is great for testing against specific OS versions or for organizations that maintain their own base images. The default remains the latest Fedora CoreOS.
Are there any notable changes to image and volume handling?
Image handling is more intuitive. The podman image list command now shows image names from all tags, not just the one used during pull. The podman image tree command also correctly displays IDs for intermediate images.
Volume management sees a fix where the podman volume rm command now properly removes anonymous volumes created with --rm. SELinux support is improved with better labeling for tmpfs mounts.
FAQ
How do I enable the new DNS resolution for my rootless containers?
It's now the default behavior. Your rootless containers will automatically use the host's DNS resolvers (/etc/resolv.conf) without any extra configuration needed.
Can I use the new pod port forwarding with docker-compose?
Yes, this improvement works with Podman's Docker Compose implementation. It allows for more natural port mapping to entire pods created by compose projects.
What happens if I don't specify a timeout for the HTTP API?
The service will default to a 5-minute timeout for most operations. For long-running operations like pulling large images, you might want to increase this value using the new timeout settings.
Is the custom image support for Podman Machine available on Linux?
No, this feature is specific to the Podman Machine helper on macOS and Windows, which manages virtual machines. Native Linux Podman doesn't use a VM.
Why would I use the --ignore-static-ip flag during restore?
This is useful when moving a checkpointed container to a different host or network environment where the original static IP address is no longer valid or available.