On an immutable openSUSE host, choose the tool that matches what you are installing: Flatpak for supported desktop apps, Distrobox for extra command-line tools and development environments, and Podman for containerized services. Reserve transactional-update for software that genuinely needs to be installed on the host, because host package changes take effect in a new system snapshot after a reboot.
Here, “immutable openSUSE Leap” means the transactional, read-only-root Leap Micro style of system—not every openSUSE Leap desktop installation. The hands-on commands below come from an openSUSE guide for Leap Micro 5.4 Beta, published in March 2023; names and steps may differ in later releases. Check the documentation for the release you have installed before relying on a command.
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Choose the right installation method
| What you need | Use | Where it lives and whether a reboot is needed |
|---|---|---|
| A supported desktop application | Flatpak | The app is installed as a Flatpak rather than as a host RPM. The cited example is a per-user install; the guide does not document remote setup for every release. |
| Command-line tools or a development environment | Distrobox | Tools are installed inside a container based on a Linux image. The openSUSE guide recommends this route for adding tools without a reboot. |
| A long-running service or other OCI container workload | Podman | The workload runs in a container; mount host directories when its data must persist outside the container. |
| A package or integration that must be part of the host | transactional-update |
The change goes into a new system snapshot and becomes active after reboot. |
These methods serve different purposes. A container or Flatpak may avoid changing the host’s base packages, but neither should be treated as a universal replacement for a host-level integration.
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Flatpak is a fit when the application you want is packaged as a Flatpak. In its Leap Micro 5.4 Beta walkthrough, openSUSE author Lubos Kocman demonstrates installing Fedora Media Writer for the current user:
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flatpak --user install org.fedoraproject.MediaWriter
The example uses Media Writer to prepare installation media without adding the image-writing application to the immutable host. The walkthrough does not show configuring a Flatpak remote, and the command alone should not be assumed to configure one. Availability of a particular application and setup details depend on the Flatpak installation and release you use.
Use Distrobox for extra tools without changing the host
Distrobox lets you work in a Linux container with the package ecosystem of a chosen image. It is useful for tools or development environments that you do not need to add to the host’s base software. The openSUSE Leap 16.0 distrobox(1) manual lists Podman, Docker, and Lilipod as supported container managers and OCI images from registries such as Docker Hub and Quay, or another chosen registry.
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Check engine compatibility for your release
That Leap 16.0 manual states these minimum versions in its packaging context:
| Container manager | Minimum version stated in the Leap 16.0 manual |
|---|---|
| Podman | 2.1.0 |
| Docker client | 19.03.15 |
| Lilipod | v0.0.1 |
Check the manual shipped for your exact openSUSE release rather than assuming these compatibility details apply unchanged elsewhere. The manual’s setup guidance describes rootless Podman or Docker configured for use without sudo.
Choose and prepare the image
Distrobox uses a container image as its starting point. A cloud image may be deliberately stripped down and lack familiar utilities, so you may need to install packages inside the container. The manual also documents optional --init support for an init system and an --nvidia option that attempts host driver integration; treat those as workload-dependent capabilities, not guarantees.
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Distrobox wraps a container engine; its behavior depends on that engine’s configuration. Do not assume that a container is a complete security boundary from the host.
Run services with Podman containers
The Leap Micro walkthrough uses Podman as its example container engine and runs Pi-hole as a service. For containerized services, this can keep service software out of the host’s base package set. When adapting Docker instructions, many deployments may work with Podman, but confirm the instructions for the particular service rather than assuming universal compatibility.
Plan ports and persistent data
A port mapping connects a port on the host to one in the container; it determines which host port clients use to reach the service. In the Pi-hole example, the web interface is mapped to host port 8888, and DNS uses port 53. These are example values from that walkthrough, not a general configuration recommendation.
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A volume mount connects a host directory to a path in the container. Use mounts for configuration or data that must remain available on the host rather than living only in the container’s filesystem. The example’s host paths and port mappings are specific to its deployment; select paths and exposure rules appropriate to your own service.
Keep management access private
The walkthrough exposes Cockpit on port 9090 for management and advises against exposing it publicly for home use. Keep management access limited to your local network rather than opening it to the internet.
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Install host packages with a transactional update
Use a host-level transaction when software needs to be part of the operating system rather than a Flatpak or container. The Leap Micro walkthrough demonstrates installing Docker with:
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sudo transactional-update pkg install docker
Alternatively, enter a transactional shell, install with zypper, then exit:
sudo transactional-update shell
zypper install docker
exit
Reboot after either method to use the modified snapshot. The change is not active in the currently running root while you continue using it. The guide describes Btrfs snapshots and automatic rollback if the system detects a failed boot into a new snapshot; this is not a substitute for backing up user data or a guarantee that every application-level problem will be reversed.
Account for physical versus virtual installation
For a physical device, the Leap Micro walkthrough says to write the downloaded image to a USB flash drive. If you are installing in a virtual machine, you can skip that media-writing step. The guide does not establish a particular USB capacity or model requirement.
Although the same walkthrough uses Flatpak, Distrobox, and Podman in a Leap Micro context, it is a 2023 Beta-era guide rather than current release-by-release documentation. Confirm installation steps and available packages against the documentation for your installed version.
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