# Using Podman

Source: https://docs.openwebui.com/getting-started/quick-start/install-methods/podman

Podman is a daemonless container engine for developing, managing, and running OCI Containers.

## Basic Commands

- **Run a Container:**

```
podman run -d --name openwebui -p 3000:8080 -v open-webui:/app/backend/data -e WEBUI_SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key ghcr.io/open-webui/open-webui:main
```
- **List Running Containers:**

```
podman ps
```

## Networking with Podman

If networking issues arise (specifically on rootless Podman), you may need to adjust the network bridge settings.

> **Slirp4netns Deprecation**
>
> Older Podman instructions often recommended `slirp4netns`. However, `slirp4netns` is being **deprecated** and will be removed in **Podman 6**.
>
>
>
> The modern successor is **[pasta](https://passt.top/passt/about/)**, which is the default in Podman 5.0+.

### Accessing the Host (Local Services)

If you are running Ollama or other services directly on your host machine, use the special DNS name **`host.containers.internal`** to point to your computer.

#### Modern Approach (Pasta - Default in Podman 5+)

No special flags are usually needed to access the host via `host.containers.internal`.

#### Legacy Approach (Slirp4netns)

If you are on an older version of Podman and `pasta` is not available:

1. Ensure you have [slirp4netns installed](https://github.com/rootless-containers/slirp4netns).
2. Start the container with the following flag to allow host loopback:

```
podman run -d --network=slirp4netns:allow_host_loopback=true --name openwebui -p 3000:8080 -v open-webui:/app/backend/data -e WEBUI_SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key ghcr.io/open-webui/open-webui:main
```

### Connection Configuration

Once inside Open WebUI, go to your avatar > **Settings > Admin > Connections** and set your Ollama API connection to: `http://host.containers.internal:11434`

Refer to the Podman [documentation](https://podman.io/) for advanced configurations.

## Uninstall

To uninstall Open WebUI running with Podman, follow these steps:

1. **Stop and Remove the Container:**

```
podman rm -f openwebui
```
2. **Remove the Image (Optional):**

```
podman rmi ghcr.io/open-webui/open-webui:main
```
3. **Remove the Volume (Optional, WARNING: Deletes all data):** If you want to completely remove your data (chats, settings, etc.):

```
podman volume rm open-webui
```