Fedora Hummingbird Linux: New container-based distribution
Fedora Hummingbird Linux is a fully container-based distribution built on rpm-ostree and bootc.
(Image: Moritz Förster / KI / iX)
- Udo Seidel
In addition to a lot of AI and virtualization, there was also news in the area of Linux distribution at the Red Hat Summit: Fedora Hummingbird Linux – also called HummingbirdOS – is here. This is a fully container-based distribution. Several already known projects are combined here: on the one hand, of course, software from the Fedora universe, but also rpm-ostree, which is known from Fedora CoreOS and also Silverblue.
Instead of a traditional package manager, software updates are installed in the system via so-called transactions. This is comparable to a Git commit with two states: the current and the next. HummingbirdOS also uses the bootc project. This deals with so-called “bootable” containers equipped with a Linux kernel and systemd. They can run as normal containers or start via bootc like a classic Linux.
The last ingredient for the new Fedora Linux is the Hummingbird Project. It provides minimalist and hardened containers. The latter means that ideally there are no known unpatched security vulnerabilities regarding the installed software. The goal is that each container has only one function.
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Try HummingbirdOS
Fedora Hummingbird Linux is still in an early stage. However, interested parties can already download an image from the container registry of the Hummingbird community. Furthermore, the system can also be operated as a virtual machine. To achieve this, the container image must be converted using bootc-image-builder. The result is either a virtual hard disk or an installation CD. The user integrates the former into the hypervisor or cloud account. HummingbirdOS then starts analogously to the other virtual machines. The installation CD uses the familiar Anaconda tool.
In the use cases envisioned by Red Hat, the circle closes back to AI. According to the announcement, HummingbirdOS is intended to serve as a platform for AI agents. By design, it offers up-to-date software with a minimal attack surface. User support is planned via “Cooperative Community Support”. Here, paying Red Hat customers can also receive help for specific projects outside the enterprise environment.
(mma)
