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: 1. Downloads Resolve installer 2. Creates Fedora-based container 3. Installs dependencies 4. Installs Resolve 5. 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"