Passbolt

Security rootful 2 containers
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passbolt docker.io/passbolt/passbolt:latest-ce · 80:80, 443:443
mariadb docker.io/mariadb:11

Deployment rootful

1. Prepare the host

Operating System:
!

Prerequisites once as root

Install Podman (needs podman 4.3 or newer; Ubuntu 22.04 ships 3.4 and is too old, use 24.04)

apt update && apt install -y podman

2. Choose a format and deploy

The same pod in four forms. Pick one and follow only its steps.

Each tab says which podman it needs. Check yours with podman --version: Debian 12 ships 4.3, Ubuntu 24.04 4.9, Debian 13 5.4, Fedora 5.8, Arch 6.x.

Kubernetes YAML for podman kube play, started by systemd through a Quadlet .kube unit (podman 4.4+; older podman like Debian 12 uses podman-kube@, see the version check below).

Kubernetes YAML 

apiVersion: v1
kind: Pod
metadata:
  name: passbolt
  labels:
    app: passbolt
spec:
  restartPolicy: Always
  containers:
  - name: passbolt
    image: docker.io/passbolt/passbolt:latest-ce
    ports:
    - containerPort: 80
      hostPort: 80
    - containerPort: 443
      hostPort: 443
    env:
    - name: APP_FULL_BASE_URL
      value: https://passbolt.example.com
    - name: DATASOURCES_DEFAULT_HOST
      value: 127.0.0.1
    - name: DATASOURCES_DEFAULT_USERNAME
      value: passbolt
    - name: DATASOURCES_DEFAULT_PASSWORD
      value: Eugdy5MvsgAnSQhbd7gaAw
    - name: DATASOURCES_DEFAULT_DATABASE
      value: passbolt
    - name: EMAIL_TRANSPORT_DEFAULT_HOST
      value: smtp.example.com
    - name: EMAIL_TRANSPORT_DEFAULT_PORT
      value: '587'
    - name: EMAIL_TRANSPORT_DEFAULT_TLS
      value: 'true'
    - name: EMAIL_DEFAULT_FROM
      value: passbolt@example.com
    volumeMounts:
    - name: vol-0
      mountPath: /etc/passbolt/gpg
    - name: vol-1
      mountPath: /etc/passbolt/jwt
  - name: mariadb
    image: docker.io/mariadb:11
    env:
    - name: MARIADB_ROOT_PASSWORD
      value: cmtZwh4v6t2JpJTVx0yDlA
    - name: MARIADB_USER
      value: passbolt
    - name: MARIADB_PASSWORD
      value: Eugdy5MvsgAnSQhbd7gaAw
    - name: MARIADB_DATABASE
      value: passbolt
    volumeMounts:
    - name: vol-2
      mountPath: /var/lib/mysql
    securityContext:
      runAsUser: 999
      runAsGroup: 999
  volumes:
  - name: vol-0
    persistentVolumeClaim:
      claimName: passbolt-gpg
  - name: vol-1
    persistentVolumeClaim:
      claimName: passbolt-jwt
  - name: vol-2
    persistentVolumeClaim:
      claimName: passbolt-db
1

Save the YAML file

sudo mkdir -p /etc/containers/
sudo nano /etc/containers/passbolt.yaml
2

Test the pod (without systemd)

sudo podman kube play /etc/containers/passbolt.yaml

# Status:
sudo podman pod ps && sudo podman ps

# Stop:
sudo podman kube down /etc/containers/passbolt.yaml

Check your podman version

podman --version

4.4 or newer: continue with step 3 below.

Older, e.g. 4.3 on Debian 12? There is no Quadlet yet: use podman's own podman-kube@ service instead of steps 3–5 
sudo systemctl enable --now podman-kube@$(systemd-escape /etc/containers/passbolt.yaml).service

# Status & logs:
sudo systemctl status podman-kube@$(systemd-escape /etc/containers/passbolt.yaml).service
sudo journalctl -u podman-kube@$(systemd-escape /etc/containers/passbolt.yaml).service -f

The day-to-day commands below have a block for this service.

3

Create Quadlet .kube file (systemd)

passbolt.kube 
[Unit]
Description=passbolt pod
After=network-online.target
Wants=network-online.target

[Kube]
Yaml=/etc/containers/passbolt.yaml

[Service]
Restart=always

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Save to /etc/containers/systemd/:

sudo mkdir -p /etc/containers/systemd/
sudo nano /etc/containers/systemd/passbolt.kube
4

Start systemd service (rootful)

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl start passbolt.service
5

Status & Logs

sudo systemctl status passbolt.service
sudo journalctl -u passbolt.service -f
sudo podman pod ps
sudo podman ps
6

Enable automatic image updates optional

Requires AutoUpdate=registry in the .kube file. Podman checks for new images and restarts the pod automatically:

sudo systemctl enable --now podman-auto-update.timer

# Check status:
sudo systemctl status podman-auto-update.timer

# Trigger manually:
sudo podman auto-update
Rootful mode:
  • Containers run as root — only use trusted images
  • Ports < 1024 can be bound directly
  • No loginctl enable-linger needed — systemd manages the service
  • Quadlet path: /etc/containers/systemd/ (not ~/.config/)
Day-to-day logs, restart, update, remove (click to open)

Logs & shell into a container

sudo podman logs -f passbolt-passbolt
sudo podman logs -f passbolt-mariadb
sudo podman exec -it passbolt-passbolt /bin/sh

Restart

sudo systemctl restart passbolt.service

Update an image by hand

Pull the new version, the restart recreates the containers from it:

sudo podman pull <image>:<tag>
sudo systemctl restart passbolt.service

Stop & remove

Stop through systemd, otherwise Restart=always brings the pod back. To remove it for good, delete the unit files and reload:

sudo systemctl stop passbolt.service
sudo rm /etc/containers/systemd/passbolt.kube
sudo systemctl daemon-reload

podman older than 4.4 (podman-kube@ from step 3)

sudo systemctl restart podman-kube@$(systemd-escape /etc/containers/passbolt.yaml).service

# Update an image: pull, then restart as above
sudo podman pull <image>:<tag>

# Stop and remove from autostart:
sudo systemctl disable --now podman-kube@$(systemd-escape /etc/containers/passbolt.yaml).service

Delete the data — permanent, only after stop & remove

sudo podman volume rm passbolt-gpg
sudo podman volume rm passbolt-jwt
sudo podman volume rm passbolt-db

Native systemd units without the Kubernetes YAML: one .pod plus one .container per container. Each container becomes its own systemd service (restart, logs and ordering per container). Needs podman 5.0 or newer — Debian 12 ships 4.3, use the Kube YAML tab there.

1

Save the unit files

passbolt.pod 
[Unit]
Description=passbolt pod

[Pod]
PodName=passbolt
PublishPort=80:80
PublishPort=443:443
passbolt-passbolt.container 
[Unit]
Description=passbolt-passbolt container

[Container]
Image=docker.io/passbolt/passbolt:latest-ce
Pod=passbolt.pod
ContainerName=passbolt-passbolt
Environment=APP_FULL_BASE_URL=https://passbolt.example.com
Environment=DATASOURCES_DEFAULT_HOST=127.0.0.1
Environment=DATASOURCES_DEFAULT_USERNAME=passbolt
Environment=DATASOURCES_DEFAULT_PASSWORD=Eugdy5MvsgAnSQhbd7gaAw
Environment=DATASOURCES_DEFAULT_DATABASE=passbolt
Environment=EMAIL_TRANSPORT_DEFAULT_HOST=smtp.example.com
Environment=EMAIL_TRANSPORT_DEFAULT_PORT=587
Environment=EMAIL_TRANSPORT_DEFAULT_TLS=true
Environment=EMAIL_DEFAULT_FROM=passbolt@example.com
Volume=passbolt-gpg:/etc/passbolt/gpg:Z
Volume=passbolt-jwt:/etc/passbolt/jwt:Z

[Service]
Restart=always

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
passbolt-mariadb.container 
[Unit]
Description=passbolt-mariadb container

[Container]
Image=docker.io/mariadb:11
Pod=passbolt.pod
ContainerName=passbolt-mariadb
Environment=MARIADB_ROOT_PASSWORD=cmtZwh4v6t2JpJTVx0yDlA
Environment=MARIADB_USER=passbolt
Environment=MARIADB_PASSWORD=Eugdy5MvsgAnSQhbd7gaAw
Environment=MARIADB_DATABASE=passbolt
Volume=passbolt-db:/var/lib/mysql:Z
User=999
Group=999

[Service]
Restart=always

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Save all of them to /etc/containers/systemd/:

sudo mkdir -p /etc/containers/systemd/
sudo nano /etc/containers/systemd/passbolt.pod
sudo nano /etc/containers/systemd/passbolt-passbolt.container
sudo nano /etc/containers/systemd/passbolt-mariadb.container
2

Start the pod

The pod service pulls in every container service. Autostart at boot comes from the [Install] section of the units, no enable needed.

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl start passbolt-pod.service
3

Status & Logs

sudo systemctl status passbolt-pod.service
sudo journalctl -u passbolt-passbolt.service -f
sudo journalctl -u passbolt-mariadb.service -f
sudo podman pod ps && sudo podman ps
Day-to-day logs, restart, update, remove (click to open)

Logs & shell into a container

sudo podman logs -f passbolt-passbolt
sudo podman logs -f passbolt-mariadb
sudo podman exec -it passbolt-passbolt /bin/sh

Restart

sudo systemctl restart passbolt-pod.service

Update an image by hand

Pull the new version, the restart recreates the containers from it:

sudo podman pull <image>:<tag>
sudo systemctl restart passbolt-pod.service

Stop & remove

Stop through systemd, otherwise Restart=always brings the pod back. To remove it for good, delete the unit files and reload:

sudo systemctl stop passbolt-pod.service
sudo rm /etc/containers/systemd/passbolt.pod
sudo rm /etc/containers/systemd/passbolt-passbolt.container
sudo rm /etc/containers/systemd/passbolt-mariadb.container
sudo systemctl daemon-reload

Delete the data — permanent, only after stop & remove

sudo podman volume rm passbolt-gpg
sudo podman volume rm passbolt-jwt
sudo podman volume rm passbolt-db

A docker-compose.yml for podman-compose. Handy if you already work with Compose; there are no per-container systemd services.

1

Install podman-compose as root

apt install -y podman-compose
2

Save the compose file

docker-compose.yml 
services:
  passbolt:
    image: docker.io/passbolt/passbolt:latest-ce
    restart: always
    environment:
    - APP_FULL_BASE_URL=https://passbolt.example.com
    - DATASOURCES_DEFAULT_HOST=127.0.0.1
    - DATASOURCES_DEFAULT_USERNAME=passbolt
    - DATASOURCES_DEFAULT_PASSWORD=Eugdy5MvsgAnSQhbd7gaAw
    - DATASOURCES_DEFAULT_DATABASE=passbolt
    - EMAIL_TRANSPORT_DEFAULT_HOST=smtp.example.com
    - EMAIL_TRANSPORT_DEFAULT_PORT=587
    - EMAIL_TRANSPORT_DEFAULT_TLS=true
    - EMAIL_DEFAULT_FROM=passbolt@example.com
    depends_on:
      mariadb:
        condition: service_started
    volumes:
    - passbolt-gpg:/etc/passbolt/gpg:Z
    - passbolt-jwt:/etc/passbolt/jwt:Z
    network_mode: service:mariadb
  mariadb:
    image: docker.io/mariadb:11
    restart: always
    environment:
    - MARIADB_ROOT_PASSWORD=cmtZwh4v6t2JpJTVx0yDlA
    - MARIADB_USER=passbolt
    - MARIADB_PASSWORD=Eugdy5MvsgAnSQhbd7gaAw
    - MARIADB_DATABASE=passbolt
    user: 999:999
    volumes:
    - passbolt-db:/var/lib/mysql:Z
    ports:
    - 80:80
    - 443:443
volumes:
  passbolt-gpg: null
  passbolt-jwt: null
  passbolt-db: null

sudo mkdir -p /opt/passbolt
sudo nano /opt/passbolt/docker-compose.yml
3

Start, status & logs

cd /opt/passbolt
sudo podman-compose up -d
sudo podman-compose ps
sudo podman-compose logs -f

# Stop:
sudo podman-compose down
4

Start after reboot

podman-restart.service starts every container with restart: always at boot:

sudo systemctl enable podman-restart.service
5

Update images

cd /opt/passbolt
sudo podman-compose pull
sudo podman-compose up -d
Day-to-day logs, restart, update, remove (click to open)

Logs & shell into a container

sudo podman logs -f passbolt_passbolt_1
sudo podman logs -f passbolt_mariadb_1
sudo podman exec -it passbolt_passbolt_1 /bin/sh

Restart

cd /opt/passbolt
sudo podman-compose restart

Stop & remove

cd /opt/passbolt
sudo podman-compose down

Delete the data — permanent, only after stop & remove

sudo podman volume rm passbolt_passbolt-gpg
sudo podman volume rm passbolt_passbolt-jwt
sudo podman volume rm passbolt_passbolt-db

Plain podman pod create / podman create commands. Good for a quick test or to see what happens under the hood.

1

Save the script

passbolt.sh 
#!/bin/bash
set -e

# ── Create named volumes ───────────────────────────────────────────
# Named volumes are created automatically — no UID/GID permission adjustment needed.
sudo podman volume exists passbolt-gpg || sudo podman volume create passbolt-gpg
sudo podman volume exists passbolt-jwt || sudo podman volume create passbolt-jwt
sudo podman volume exists passbolt-db || sudo podman volume create passbolt-db

# ── Create pod ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
sudo podman pod create \
  --name passbolt \
  -p 80:80 \
  -p 443:443

# ── Container: passbolt-passbolt ─────────────────────────────────────────────
sudo podman create \
  --pod passbolt \
  --name passbolt-passbolt \
  --restart always \
  -e APP_FULL_BASE_URL='https://passbolt.example.com' \
  -e DATASOURCES_DEFAULT_HOST='127.0.0.1' \
  -e DATASOURCES_DEFAULT_USERNAME='passbolt' \
  -e DATASOURCES_DEFAULT_PASSWORD='Eugdy5MvsgAnSQhbd7gaAw' \
  -e DATASOURCES_DEFAULT_DATABASE='passbolt' \
  -e EMAIL_TRANSPORT_DEFAULT_HOST='smtp.example.com' \
  -e EMAIL_TRANSPORT_DEFAULT_PORT='587' \
  -e EMAIL_TRANSPORT_DEFAULT_TLS='true' \
  -e EMAIL_DEFAULT_FROM='passbolt@example.com' \
  -v passbolt-gpg:/etc/passbolt/gpg:Z \
  -v passbolt-jwt:/etc/passbolt/jwt:Z \
  docker.io/passbolt/passbolt:latest-ce

# ── Container: passbolt-mariadb ─────────────────────────────────────────────
sudo podman create \
  --pod passbolt \
  --name passbolt-mariadb \
  --restart always \
  -e MARIADB_ROOT_PASSWORD='cmtZwh4v6t2JpJTVx0yDlA' \
  -e MARIADB_USER='passbolt' \
  -e MARIADB_PASSWORD='Eugdy5MvsgAnSQhbd7gaAw' \
  -e MARIADB_DATABASE='passbolt' \
  -v passbolt-db:/var/lib/mysql:Z \
  --user 999:999 \
  docker.io/mariadb:11

# ── Start pod ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
sudo podman pod start passbolt

# ── Stop & clean up ───────────────────────────────────────────────
# sudo podman pod stop passbolt
# sudo podman pod rm passbolt
nano passbolt.sh
2

Run it, status & logs

bash passbolt.sh
sudo podman pod ps && sudo podman ps
sudo podman logs -f <container-name>
3

Start after reboot

podman-restart.service starts every container with --restart always at boot:

podman 6.1 does not bring rootful pods created by hand back after a reboot (the infra container fails with stale file handle, and the failing podman-restart.service then stops the other containers it started). If the pod must survive reboots, use the Kube YAML or Quadlet tab.

sudo systemctl enable podman-restart.service
4

Remove or rebuild

The script creates the pod once. To apply changes or new images, remove the pod and run the script again (named volumes stay):

sudo podman pod rm -f passbolt
bash passbolt.sh
Day-to-day logs, restart, update, remove (click to open)

Logs & shell into a container

sudo podman logs -f passbolt-passbolt
sudo podman logs -f passbolt-mariadb
sudo podman exec -it passbolt-passbolt /bin/sh

Restart

sudo podman pod stop passbolt
sudo podman pod start passbolt

Stop & remove

sudo podman pod rm -f passbolt

Delete the data — permanent, only after stop & remove

sudo podman volume rm passbolt-gpg
sudo podman volume rm passbolt-jwt
sudo podman volume rm passbolt-db
Useful Tips

Ports < 1024 (e.g. 80, 443)

Rootless cannot open privileged ports. Solution:

sysctl net.ipv4.ip_unprivileged_port_start=80

Make persistent in /etc/sysctl.d/99-podman.conf.

Containers communicate via localhost

All containers in the pod share the same network namespace. Always use localhost, not container names.

# Correct (e.g. app → db):
localhost:5432

# Wrong (doesn't work in a pod):
db-container:5432

List open ports

Which ports are the running containers publishing? See the PORTS column:

podman ps

Custom DNS for the pod

Set a custom DNS server (e.g. local Pi-hole) in the generator under DNS server. Every format picks it up.

Set volume ownership

Fix permission errors by adjusting UID/GID in the user namespace:

podman unshare chown 1000:1000 /path/to/volume

SELinux volume labels

On SELinux systems (RHEL, Fedora) set the volume suffix:

/host/path:/container/path:Z   # private
/host/path:/container/path:z   # shared

List all volumes

podman volume ls
podman volume inspect <volume-name>

Volume backup

Back up data from a named volume:

podman run --rm \
  -v <volume-name>:/data:ro \
  -v $(pwd):/backup \
  busybox tar czf /backup/backup.tar.gz /data

Cleanup

Remove unused images, containers and volumes:

podman system prune -f        # containers + images
podman image prune -f         # untagged images only
podman volume prune -f        # unused volumes

Check for outdated images

List local images; auto-update only covers units with AutoUpdate= (Kube and Quadlet tabs):

podman images
podman auto-update --dry-run

All containers, including stopped ones

podman pod ps
podman ps -a

Resource usage

podman stats --no-stream
Customize this stack
Change ports, volumes, environment variables and more in the generator.
Open in Generator