Swap Docker For Podman on Fedora 39-42:

0. Cleanup Podman

  1. Force remove all containers: 
podman rm -a -f
  1. Force remove all pods: 
podman pod rm -a -f
  1. Force remove all images: 
podman rmi -a -f
  1. Force remove all podman machines and reset: 
podman machine reset -f

1. Remove Podman (and its shims)

sudo dnf remove -y podman podman-docker podman-compose
  • podman = engine itself
  • podman-docker = the “shim” that makes /usr/bin/docker call Podman
  • podman-compose = Podman’s alternative Compose tool

This ensures no “fake docker” commands get in your way.

2. Add Docker’s official repo

Fedora doesn’t ship Docker CE anymore, so grab Docker’s maintained repo:

# set up the repo
sudo dnf -y install dnf-plugins-core
sudo dnf config-manager --add-repo https://download.docker.com/linux/fedora/docker-ce.repo

3. Install Docker CE and plugins (includes Compose v2)

sudo dnf install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin
  • docker-compose-plugin gives you docker compose … (v2, built into the docker CLI).
  • No need for the old docker-compose Python package.

4. Enable & start Docker

sudo systemctl enable --now docker

5. Add your user to the docker group (optional, avoids sudo)

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker   # refresh group membership in current shell

6. Test it

docker --version
docker compose version
docker run hello-world

You should see Docker CE’s version info and a successful “Hello from Docker!” run.

At this point:

  • Podman is gone.
  • You have the real Docker engine + socket at /var/run/docker.sock.
  • docker and docker compose commands will behave exactly as WinBoat (or any Docker-dependent app) expects.

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Undo the above and go back to Fedora’s Podman-first setup.:

1. Stop and remove Docker

sudo systemctl disable --now docker
sudo dnf remove -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

That clears out Docker CE and its supporting runtime bits.

2. Re-install Podman + extras

sudo dnf install -y podman podman-docker podman-compose
  • podman → main engine
  • podman-docker → provides /usr/bin/docker shim (so docker run … maps to podman run …)
  • podman-compose → lets you run podman-compose up with docker-compose.yml files

3. (Optional) Enable Docker-compat socket for Podman

If you want tools like Compose v2 to talk to Podman as if it were Docker:

systemctl --user enable --now podman.socket
export DOCKER_HOST=unix:///run/user/$UID/podman/podman.sock

(You can drop that export into ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc if you want it permanent.)

4. Verify Podman is back

podman --version
docker --version   # now points to Podman if podman-docker is installed
podman run hello-world