https://RustRocket.rs -- Cloud Monk Losang Jinpa, Ph.D., MCSE / MCT, https://Rustaceans.rs, Full Stack Cloud Native Rust DevOps Engineer - Rocket Framework Rust Microservices on Kubernetes-AWS-Azure-GCP

Return to Python Containerizations, Containers with Python, Python with Docker, Python with Kubernetes

Python can interact with Podman, a daemonless container engine for developing, managing, and running OCI Containers on your Linux System, through its REST API or by invoking Podman commands using Python's subprocess module. This interaction allows for automation and management of containerized environments directly from Python scripts, making it highly useful in development, testing, and CI/CD pipelines.

Podman provides a Docker-compatible command line that makes it easier for those familiar with Docker to adapt. However, unlike Docker, Podman runs containers as non-root users by default, providing an added layer of security. This feature is particularly useful in multi-user environments and when managing containers in shared systems without sacrificing security.

1. Using the REST API

Podman offers a REST API that can be interacted with through HTTP requests. Python's `requests` library can be utilized to communicate with Podman, allowing you to manage containers, images, volumes, and networks programmatically. This method requires running Podman as a service, which exposes the API on a specified port.

1. Example: Listing Containers with the REST API

```python import requests

1. Podman API endpoint

api_url = “http://localhost:8080/v1.0.0/libpod/containers/json”

1. Sending GET request to list containers

response = requests.get(api_url)

1. Check if the request was successful

if response.status_code == 200:

   containers = response.json()
   for container in containers:
       print(container["Names"], container["Id"])

   print("Failed to retrieve containers")

This example demonstrates how to list containers using Podman's REST API. Adjust the `api_url` as necessary depending on your Podman service configuration.

1. Using Subprocess to Run Podman Commands

Alternatively, you can use Python's `subprocess` module to execute Podman commands directly. This approach is simpler and does not require running Podman as a service but is less flexible than using the API.

1. Example: Listing Containers with Subprocess

```python import subprocess import json

1. Running the Podman command

result = subprocess.run([“podman”, “container”, “ls”, “–format”, “json”], capture_output=True, text=True)

1. Check if the command was successful

if result.returncode == 0:

   containers = json.loads(result.stdout)
   for container in containers:
       print(container["Names"], container["Id"])

   print("Failed to list containers")

This example uses the `subprocess` module to invoke the `podman container ls` command, capturing its output and parsing the JSON to list container names and IDs.

1. Choosing the Best Approach

Whether to use the REST API or subprocess with Podman in Python depends on your specific requirements. The REST API offers a more robust and flexible interface for interacting with Podman, suitable for complex integrations and applications. On the other hand, the subprocess approach is simpler and might be sufficient for straightforward tasks or scripts that automate Podman operations without the overhead of running a service.

In both cases, Python's versatility allows developers to integrate container management into their applications and workflows, leveraging Podman's advantages for secure and efficient container deployment and management.