# Install apptainer with Homebrew, apk, dnf, pacman, zypper, apt Application container and unprivileged sandbox platform for Linux. Version 1.5.2 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-23. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:apptainer ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install apptainer ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add apptainer ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: apptainer from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install apptainer ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: apptainer from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S apptainer ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: apptainer from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install apptainer ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: apptainer from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install singularity ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: singularity from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:apptainer - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 1.5.2 - **Source summary:** Application container and unprivileged sandbox platform for Linux - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** BSD-3-Clause - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-23T23:30:10Z - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - apptainer (cli) - run-singularity (cli) - singularity (cli) - apptainer (alias) - run-singularity (alias) - singularity (alias) ## Dependencies - libseccomp - squashfs ## Build dependencies - go - pkgconf ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 1.5.2 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-23 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/apptainer/apptainer - info: No cached GitHub release or tag data was available. ## Project history and usage Apptainer is an open-source Linux container platform focused on high-performance computing, reproducibility, security, and unprivileged execution. It is the Linux Foundation continuation and rename of the community Singularity project. ### Project history The user guide says Apptainer was first developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to run complex applications on HPC clusters in a simple, portable, and reproducible way. It became popular at HPC and academic sites before expanding into industry. In November 2021, the project announced that Singularity was moving into the Linux Foundation and being renamed Apptainer to avoid confusion with other Singularity-named products and to keep the project under community governance. The announcement says the first Apptainer release would be 1.0 in a new GitHub repository. The Apptainer changelog records v1.0.0 in March 2022. That release changed the primary executable from `singularity` to `apptainer`, renamed `/etc/singularity` to `/etc/apptainer`, migrated per-user configuration from `~/.singularity` to `~/.apptainer`, and retained a `singularity` command symlink for compatibility. The v1.1.0 release in September 2022 made a major packaging and security shift: Apptainer no longer installed a setuid-root component by default, relying instead on unprivileged user namespaces for most operations and moving the setuid portion into optional packaging. ### Adoption history Apptainer's adoption is strongest in HPC because it maps container workflows onto shared clusters where Docker's daemon model, root privileges, and isolation defaults are often a poor fit. Its docs emphasize single-file SIF images, integration with GPUs and high-speed filesystems, and preserving the user's host identity by default. The compatibility strategy helped adoption after the rename. Official docs describe SIF image compatibility, support for `SINGULARITY_` environment variables during transition, a `singularity` symlink to the same binary, and automatic user configuration migration. Distribution packaging matters because Apptainer is used on managed systems: clusters often install it centrally, admins control global configuration under `/etc/apptainer` or `/usr/local/etc/apptainer`, and users keep remotes, keys, caches, and registry credentials under `~/.apptainer`. ### How it is used Users build, pull, run, shell into, and exec containers with the `apptainer` CLI. Typical sources include SIF files, Docker/OCI registries, ORAS endpoints, and definition files used to build reproducible scientific or commercial software environments. Administrators tune `apptainer.conf` for setuid behavior, namespaces, bind mounts, networking, GPUs, cgroups, and helper binary paths. Remote endpoints and keyserver settings are managed through `remote.yaml`; login commands store endpoint credentials, and OCI registry credentials can live in `~/.apptainer/docker-config.json` or a custom `--authfile`. ### Why package nerds care Apptainer is a packaging story about containers for places where containers are infrastructure, not just developer convenience. It packages runtime policy, SIF image handling, OCI interop, user namespace tradeoffs, cluster admin controls, and backwards compatibility with a large Singularity install base. For package nerds, the rename is especially interesting because the package intentionally ships compatibility: old command names, old environment variable prefixes, image-format stability, and migration from old user config directories. That reduced the blast radius of a governance and trademark-driven project transition. ### Timeline - 2017: User docs copyright history reflects the Sylabs/Singularity era. - 2021: Community announcement says Singularity moved to the Linux Foundation and was renamed Apptainer. - 2022: Changelog records Apptainer v1.0.0. - 2022: Changelog records v1.1.0 changing the default away from setuid-root installation. - 2024: Changelog records v1.3.x releases with OCI, packaging, and filesystem fixes. - 2026: Main user/admin docs continue under the Apptainer project. ### Related projects - Singularity is the original project lineage and compatibility target. - SingularityCE/Sylabs Singularity is the related fork/product line discussed in the rename announcement. - SIF is the container image format shared across Apptainer and Singularity workflows. - OCI/Docker registries and ORAS endpoints are supported container sources and publication targets. ### Sources - - - - - - ## Security Notes infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal. - **Geiger risk:** orange / medium - infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal ## Configuration and credential file locations These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval. ## Configuration files - Linux: /usr/local/etc/apptainer/apptainer.conf, /etc/apptainer/apptainer.conf, /usr/local/etc/apptainer/remote.yaml, /etc/apptainer/remote.yaml ## Credential files - Unix: ~/.apptainer/remote.yaml, ~/.apptainer/docker-config.json ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** apptainer - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Head Version:** HEAD - **Requirements:** linux - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - apk - apptainer - 1.5.1-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: apptainer from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Application containers for Linux | https://apptainer.org/ - apk - apptainer-bash-completion - 1.5.1-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: apptainer-bash-completion from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Bash completions for apptainer | https://apptainer.org/ - apk - apptainer-doc - 1.5.1-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: apptainer-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Application containers for Linux (documentation) | https://apptainer.org/ - apk - apptainer-suid - 1.5.1-r0: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: apptainer-suid from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Application containers for Linux (SUID helper binary) | https://apptainer.org/ - dnf - apptainer - 1.5.0-1.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: apptainer from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Application and environment virtualization formerly known as Singularity | https://apptainer.org - dnf - apptainer-suid - 1.5.0-1.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: apptainer-suid from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Setuid component of Apptainer | https://apptainer.org - pacman - apptainer - 1.5.1-1: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: apptainer from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | Application containers for secure high performance computing | https://apptainer.org/ - zypper - apptainer - 1.4.5-6.1: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: apptainer from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Application and environment virtualization | https://apptainer.org - zypper - apptainer-leap - 1.4.5-6.1: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: apptainer-leap from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Apptainer Definition File Templates for current openSUSE Leap | https://apptainer.org - Debian apt - singularity - 1.0.0+git20241231-3: installed executable or alias match | Debian stable package indexes: singularity from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | game where one becomes the singularity | https://singularity.github.io/ - Ubuntu apt - singularity - 1.0.0-1: installed executable or alias match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: singularity from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | game where one becomes the singularity | https://singularity.github.io/ - apk - singularity - 4.4.2-r0: installed executable or alias match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: singularity from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Application containers focused on reproducibility for scientific computing and HPC world. | https://www.sylabs.io/singularity/ - apk - singularity-bash-completion - 4.4.2-r0: installed executable or alias match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: singularity-bash-completion from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Bash completions for singularity | https://www.sylabs.io/singularity/ - apk - singularity-doc - 4.4.2-r0: installed executable or alias match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: singularity-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Application containers focused on reproducibility for scientific computing and HPC world. (documentation) | https://www.sylabs.io/singularity/ - pacman - singularity - 1.1-3: installed executable or alias match | Arch Linux sync databases: singularity from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | Endgame: Singularity - simulation of true AI | http://emhsoft.com/singularity/index.html ## Related links - [Cloud CLI packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/cloud-clis/) - Belongs to a cloud or infrastructure command family. - [Secret-risk packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/secret-risk-packages/) - Has protected-tool coverage, approval-gate, or non-low Geiger security signals. - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [libseccomp](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libseccomp/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [squashfs](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/squashfs/) - Runtime dependency declared by Homebrew. - [go](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/go/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [pkgconf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/pkgconf/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [amazon-ecs-cli](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/amazon-ecs-cli/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cloud-infrastructure, containers. - [ansible-builder](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ansible-builder/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cloud-infrastructure, containers. - [argo](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/argo/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cloud-infrastructure, containers. - [colima](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/colima/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cloud-infrastructure, containers. - [container](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/container/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cloud-infrastructure, containers. - [container-canary](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/container-canary/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cloud-infrastructure, containers. - [container-compose](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/container-compose/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cloud-infrastructure, containers. - [container-structure-test](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/container-structure-test/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cloud-infrastructure, containers. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/apptainer.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/apptainer.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated configuration and credential file locations - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph