Alternatives to LXC
System containers that run a full Linux userspace instead of a single process. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
LXC
System containers that run a full Linux userspace instead of a single process.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as LXC.
Distrobox
Runs any Linux distribution in a container that is tightly integrated with the host.
Distrobox runs any Linux distribution in a container integrated with the host's home directory, graphics and devices, but it is not an isolation boundary and needs Podman or Docker.
LXD
Canonical's open-source manager for system containers and KVM virtual machines on Linux.
LXD is Canonical's manager for system containers that also runs KVM virtual machines and adds a web interface, under AGPL-3.0 and most at home on Ubuntu.
SmartOS
An open-source illumos-based hypervisor operating system that runs zones and KVM or bhyve virtual machines.
SmartOS runs zones alongside KVM or bhyve VMs on an illumos base with ZFS and DTrace, which is less familiar than Linux and needs Triton for cloud management.
Also worth comparing
These listings name LXC as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
Podman
Daemonless container engine with a Docker-compatible command line.
LXC runs system containers with a full Linux userspace rather than single-process application containers, and is Linux-only and command-line only.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Docker Engine
The container runtime that builds, packages and runs applications in Docker containers.
Alpine Linux
A small, security-oriented Linux distribution built on musl libc and BusyBox.
Toolbx
A Linux tool that creates containerized command-line environments for development and troubleshooting the host system.
KubeVirt
A Kubernetes add-on that runs and manages traditional virtual machines alongside containers.
