Otter is a modern container manager built for Linux desktops. Works with Podman, Docker, and nerdctl. Declare your environment in TOML, assemble it in one command. Pause, restart, lock, inspect — full control, beginner friendly.
Built on the tools you already have. Adds everything distrobox left out.
Works with Podman, Docker, and nerdctl out of the box. No preference forced, no daemon required.
Declare your entire environment in a TOML file. Packages, volumes, hooks, isolation, hardware limits — all in one place. Run otter assemble and you're done.
Pause, restart, lock, upgrade, inspect, journal — not just create and enter. Real control over your containers.
Set CPU, memory, and NVIDIA GPU access per container. No more unconstrained environments eating your system resources.
Fine-grained control over netns, IPC, process, device, and group isolation. Lock down as much or as little as you need.
Export apps and binaries from inside containers to your host path. Use container software as if it were native.
Run scripts before and after container init. Automate setup, link binaries, configure environments — fully scriptable.
Sane defaults, clear commands, and a registry of ready-to-use images. Get a working container without reading a manual.
Everything you need, nothing you don't.
Pre-built images ready to pull from the Otter registry.
Define your entire container environment in a single TOML file. Commit it, share it, reproduce it anywhere.