No. 38 of 39 ·Container Development Environments

Toolbx

Linux

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Freedom report

One barScore 5.1

Free tierA free tier is on its own pricing page
Open codeNo open-source code on record
Runs widely1 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedThinly documented

Toolbx is ranked #38 of 39 in container development environments on Freedom251. It runs on Linux. There is a free plan.

Toolbx plans and pricing

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Toolbx Free Free Software · Linux tool containertoolbx.org · 5 Oct 2026

Compared on container development environments

Desktop platforms: Linux: Arch Linux, Fedora, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Ubuntu
IDE integration: Yes

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The record

Purpose: Toolbx provides interactive Linux command line environments for software development and host troubleshooting without installing tools on the host.
Container foundation: Toolbx is built on Podman and other standard container technologies from OCI.
Host access: Toolbx environments can access the user’s home directory, display sockets, networking, removable devices, system journal, SSH agent, D-Bus, and other host resources.
Development use: Separate /usr filesystems let developers install tools in containers so project environments do not clash with the host OS.
Supported distributions: The project regularly tests Arch Linux, Fedora, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.5 or later, and Ubuntu as host distributions.
Container distributions: Toolbx can create environments for Arch, Fedora, RHEL, and Ubuntu, with documented distribution and release combinations.
Integrations: GNOME Builder integrates Toolbx for building and testing desktop applications inside a selected container.
Terminal integration: Ptyxis can open selected Toolbx containers and make the same containers accessible from an IDE.
Security scope: Toolbx says it makes no promise of security beyond what is available in the usual host command line environment.
Security configuration: Toolbx documentation says host user IDs and account details are propagated into containers and SELinux label separation is disabled.
Not a secure development environment: The project lists a secure development environment as a non-goal.
Installation: Toolbx is installed by default on Fedora Silverblue and Workstation; on other operating systems it can be installed through a toolbox or podman-toolbox package.
Requirement: Toolbx requires Podman 1.6.4 or later and optionally supports Skopeo 1.10.0 or later.
Support and community: The project points users to Matrix for discussion, GitHub Issues for issues, and a private vulnerability reporting option for security issues.
Price from: Free

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best Container Development Environments in 2026#38 of 39

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Sources

containertoolbx.org· checked 5 Oct 2026
containertoolbx.org/use/· checked 5 Oct 2026
containertoolbx.org/distros/· checked 5 Oct 2026
containertoolbx.org/doc/· checked 5 Oct 2026
containertoolbx.org/goals/· checked 5 Oct 2026
containertoolbx.org/install/· checked 5 Oct 2026