Podman is an open-source container engine that allows users to create, manage, and run OCI containers and pods across Linux, macOS, and Windows, operating without a central daemon, offering benefits in security and flexibility.
Advantages of Podman include Daemonless Operation, Rootless Containers support, Docker compatibility, Pods and Kubernetes Integration, systemd Integration, improved performance, and more efficient resource consumption.
Disadvantages of Podman include a learning curve for certain features, a smaller ecosystem compared to Docker, networking limitations, and evolving feature maturity particularly in orchestration and high availability.
For installation and setup, Podman provides straightforward steps for Linux, macOS using Homebrew or official installer, and Windows where it utilizes Windows Subsystem for Linux. Basic configuration and settings can be adjusted through configuration files and environment variables.