Last checked and updated on April 15, 2026What is new in Podman 5.4
Podman 5.4 introduces early preview support for OCI artifacts and significantly expands the podman update command with many new healthcheck options. It also adds useful features for volumes, user namespaces, Kubernetes device support, and Quadlet configuration while improving network handling and machine setup.
Having deployed Podman in large-scale environments for years, I find the new artifact tools and healthcheck updates particularly valuable for modern container workflows and maintenance tasks.
Major New Features in Podman 5.4
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| OCI Artifacts (Preview) | New podman artifact command suite including add, inspect, ls, pull, push, and rm. This early preview enables working with OCI artifacts. |
| Healthcheck Updates | podman update now supports 15 new options for healthchecks, such as --health-cmd to set a new command and --no-healthcheck to disable one. |
| Volume Mounts | --mount type=volume now accepts subpath= to expose only a subdirectory of the volume inside the container. |
| User Namespace | --userns=keep-id supports size= option to set the user namespace size. |
| Kubernetes Support | podman kube play now supports Container Device Interface (CDI) devices. |
Podman Machine and Network Improvements
Podman 5.4 makes virtual machine setup more flexible:
podman machine initadds--playbookto run an Ansible playbook on first boot.- New
--hosts-fileoption forpodman run,podman create, andpodman pod createto specify the base/etc/hostsfile. --no-hostnameoption disables creation of/etc/hostnameinside containers.podman network createsupports--opt mode=unmanagedfor bridge networks to use existing system bridges.--networkoption now acceptshost_interface_namefor bridge networks.
Quadlet Enhancements
Quadlet support continues to improve with better compatibility:
- New
ShmSizefield in.podunits to set the size of shared memory for the pod. - Comment parsing corrected to follow systemd rules -- only
#and;are valid comment characters (colon:is no longer supported as a comment).
Other Useful Additions
Additional improvements include:
podman manifest rm --ignoreto skip errors for non-existent manifests.podman system prune --buildto clean up leftover build containers.podman eventsnow generates events for network creation and removal.- Container hostnames are now passed to Netavark for DHCP requests.
Important Notes and Changes
Due to limited testing hardware, Podman no longer offers full support for Intel-based Macs. Binaries and images continue to be built, but fixes will be on a best-effort basis.
Partial pulls for zstd:chunked images are now more reliable, and packagers can set the BUILD_ORIGIN environment variable during builds for better traceability in podman version and podman info.
Bug Fixes in Podman 5.4
This release addresses many stability issues:
- Fixed WSL machine startup port conflicts with usermode networking.
- Corrected overlay mounts at image volume paths and
podman buildhandling ofno_pivot_root. - Improved
podman cpbehavior with fresh volumes and stopped containers. - Fixed resource limit handling when running without
CAP_SYS_RESOURCEand in remote client scenarios. - Resolved issues with Quadlet parsing, subfolder support for non-root users, and network reuse in units.
- Fixed
podman generate kubevolume naming for Kubernetes compatibility and several inspect and stats command problems.
Dependency Updates
| Component | Updated To |
|---|---|
| Buildah | v1.39.0 |
| containers/common | v0.62.0 |
| containers/storage | v1.57.1 |
| containers/image | v5.34.0 |
Frequently Asked Questions about Podman 5.4
What is the new OCI artifact support in Podman 5.4?
It is an early preview with commands like podman artifact add, inspect, pull, and more. The interface may still change based on user feedback.
How can I update healthchecks on existing containers?
Use podman update with the new healthcheck options such as --health-cmd or --no-healthcheck.
What changed with Quadlet comments in Podman 5.4?
Only # and ; are now valid comment characters to match systemd behavior. The colon : is no longer treated as a comment.
Is Podman 5.4 still supported on Intel Macs?
Binaries are still provided, but support is now best-effort only due to limited testing resources.
Summary of Podman 5.4
Podman 5.4 delivers early OCI artifact tools, powerful healthcheck management through podman update, and many practical enhancements for volumes, networks, machines, and Quadlets. Numerous bug fixes improve reliability across local, remote, and Kubernetes use cases.