Distrobox - Container Management

Overview

Distrobox lets you run any Linux distribution inside containers with seamless host integration. This skill covers creating and managing distrobox containers on Bazzite.

Quick Reference

| Command | Description | |---------|-------------| | ujust distrobox-assemble | Create containers from distrobox.ini | | ujust assemble | Alias for distrobox-assemble | | ujust distrobox-new | Create custom distrobox container | | ujust distrobox | Alias for distrobox-new | | ujust setup-distrobox-app | Install app containers (brew) | | ujust install-resolve | Install DaVinci Resolve | | ujust install-davinci | Alias for install-resolve | | ujust install-davinci-resolve | Alias for install-resolve | | ujust install-resolve-studio | Install DaVinci Resolve Studio |

Container Creation

From Manifest

# Create containers defined in distrobox.ini
ujust distrobox-assemble

Reads ~/.config/distrobox/distrobox.ini and creates all defined containers.

Example distrobox.ini:

[ubuntu]
image=ubuntu:22.04
pull=true
init=true

[fedora]
image=fedora:39
pull=true

Custom Container

# Interactive container creation
ujust distrobox-new

Prompts for:

Container name
Base image
Additional options

Manual Creation

# Direct distrobox command
distrobox create --name mybox --image ubuntu:22.04
distrobox enter mybox

App Containers

Homebrew Container

# Setup brew in a container
ujust setup-distrobox-app brew

Creates a dedicated container with Homebrew installed.

Usage after setup:

distrobox enter brew
brew install <package>

DaVinci Resolve

Free Version

# Install DaVinci Resolve in container
ujust install-resolve

# Aliases
ujust install-davinci
ujust install-davinci-resolve

Studio Version

# Install DaVinci Resolve Studio
ujust install-resolve-studio

Requires license/dongle for Studio features.

Process:

Downloads Resolve installer
Creates Fedora-based container
Installs dependencies
Installs Resolve
Creates desktop entry

Common Workflows

Development Environment

# Create Ubuntu dev container
distrobox create --name dev --image ubuntu:22.04
distrobox enter dev

# Inside container
sudo apt update
sudo apt install build-essential python3-pip

Multiple Distros

# Create distrobox.ini
cat > ~/.config/distrobox/distrobox.ini << EOF
[arch]
image=archlinux:latest
pull=true

[debian]
image=debian:bookworm
pull=true
EOF

# Create all containers
ujust distrobox-assemble

Video Editing Setup

# Install DaVinci Resolve
ujust install-resolve

# Launch from applications menu or:
distrobox enter resolve
resolve

Container Management

List Containers

distrobox list

Enter Container

distrobox enter <name>

Stop Container

distrobox stop <name>

Remove Container

distrobox rm <name>

Export Application

# Export app to host
distrobox enter <name>
distrobox-export --app <application>

Troubleshooting

Container Won't Start

Check:

# Container status
podman ps -a

# Logs
podman logs <container-id>

Fix:

# Recreate container
distrobox rm <name>
distrobox create --name <name> --image <image>

Resolve Won't Launch

Check NVIDIA drivers:

nvidia-smi

Check GPU access in container:

distrobox enter resolve
nvidia-smi

GUI Apps Not Working

Verify Wayland/X11:

echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE
echo $DISPLAY

Try X11 forwarding:

distrobox create --name <name> --image <image> --additional-flags "--env DISPLAY=$DISPLAY"

Cross-References

bazzite:gpu - GPU driver configuration
bazzite-ai:configure - Docker/Podman configuration
bazzite:apps - Third-party application installation

When to Use This Skill

Use when the user asks about:

"distrobox", "create container", "linux container"
"ubuntu on bazzite", "arch container", "debian box"
"distrobox.ini", "assemble containers", "manifest"
"brew on bazzite", "homebrew", "brew container"
"DaVinci Resolve", "video editing", "Resolve Studio"
"run other distro", "different distribution"