{"slug": "systemd-nspawn", "name": "systemd-nspawn", "category": "other", "category_name": "Other software", "description": "", "recommenders": 2, "commenters": 5, "warners": 1, "score": 1.423, "rising": 0.67, "first": "2026-01-11", "latest": "2026-10-23", "why": "Systemd-nspawn containers are super easy to spin up, as you basically install Gentoo from stage3 and it works like a chroot but with a full init.", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 2, "neutral": 2, "compare": 0, "warn": 1}, "spark": [0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1], "listed": false, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "Systemd-nspawn containers are super easy to spin up, as you basically install Gentoo from stage3 and it works like a chroot but with a full init.", "icon": false, "domain": null, "github_repo": null, "official_url": "", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["systemd-nspawn"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 803469744, "item_id": 50216859, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50216859", "by": "ectoloph", "date": "2026-10-23", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I have been using systemd-nspawn recently through NixOS containers[1].", "excerpt": "I have been using systemd-nspawn recently through NixOS containers[1]. The combination feels quite powerful if you are in the ecosystem. Though it is slightly ironic that I find Nix more approachable with the help of LLMs and then Nix has become one of the ways I manage the environments for the LLMs. [1] https://wiki.nixos.org/wiki/NixOS_Containers", "context": "", "use_case": "containers", "switched_from": "", "story": "A whirlwind tour of systemd-nspawn containers (2025)"}, {"id": 745278448, "item_id": 46579903, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46579903", "by": "notme43", "date": "2026-01-11", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Systemd-nspawn containers are super easy to spin up, as you basically install Gentoo from stage3 and it works like a chroot but with a full init.", "excerpt": "Yes - still use emerge on the Thinkpad like I would on the host, like emerge -avuDN @world and such. This is the wiki article [1] I used to set up most the portage side of things, it covers NFS as well. I use NFS to mount the container's /etc/portage to /mnt/portage and symlink the files to the Thinkpad's /etc/portage so I can cherry pick the files I want to keep in sync with the build container. Don't have to mess w", "context": "runs Gentoo with a build container and binhost", "use_case": "Gentoo build container", "switched_from": "", "story": "Gentoo Linux 2025 Review"}]}], "caveats": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 803471552, "item_id": 50216972, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50216972", "by": "noopprod", "date": "2026-10-23", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I found a bug with nspawn that it can't bind mount while being in the mode which lets you delegate namespaces", "excerpt": "I found a bug with nspawn that it can't bind mount while being in the mode which lets you delegate namespaces or whatever Aka If you have some kind of mount that matters like NVIDIA, you can't also create containers from containers. So I just switched to LXC but I guess I should submit a slop PR as well. But yeah I guess Id just caution anyone who was going to use it lol", "context": "", "use_case": "containers", "switched_from": "", "story": "A whirlwind tour of systemd-nspawn containers (2025)"}]}], "who": [{"by": "chasil", "context": "retired engineer", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50216688", "date": "2026-10-23"}, {"by": "notme43", "context": "runs Gentoo with a build container and binhost", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46579903", "date": "2026-01-11"}], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["containers", "linux containers", "gentoo build container"], "compared": [{"slug": "lxc", "name": "LXC", "co": 1, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 1}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50214983", "title": "A whirlwind tour of systemd-nspawn containers (2025)", "mentions": 3}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49894351", "title": "Show HN: NSL \u2013 WSL for Linux", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46574769", "title": "Gentoo Linux 2025 Review", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {}, "2026-01": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {"neutral": 1}, "2026-10": {"neutral": 1, "recommend": 1, "warn": 1}}, "quotes": [{"id": 803471552, "item_id": 50216972, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50216972", "by": "noopprod", "date": "2026-10-23", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I found a bug with nspawn that it can't bind mount while being in the mode which lets you delegate namespaces", "excerpt": "I found a bug with nspawn that it can't bind mount while being in the mode which lets you delegate namespaces or whatever Aka If you have some kind of mount that matters like NVIDIA, you can't also create containers from containers. So I just switched to LXC but I guess I should submit a slop PR as well. But yeah I guess Id just caution anyone who was going to use it lol", "context": "", "use_case": "containers", "switched_from": "", "story": "A whirlwind tour of systemd-nspawn containers (2025)"}, {"id": 803469744, "item_id": 50216859, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50216859", "by": "ectoloph", "date": "2026-10-23", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I have been using systemd-nspawn recently through NixOS containers[1].", "excerpt": "I have been using systemd-nspawn recently through NixOS containers[1]. The combination feels quite powerful if you are in the ecosystem. Though it is slightly ironic that I find Nix more approachable with the help of LLMs and then Nix has become one of the ways I manage the environments for the LLMs. [1] https://wiki.nixos.org/wiki/NixOS_Containers", "context": "", "use_case": "containers", "switched_from": "", "story": "A whirlwind tour of systemd-nspawn containers (2025)"}, {"id": 803467008, "item_id": 50216688, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50216688", "by": "chasil", "date": "2026-10-23", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I used that for a number of designs before my retirement.", "excerpt": "Eleven years ago, I wrote an introduction to nspawn from a busybox perspective. https://www.linuxjournal.com/content/infinite-busybox-systemd I used that for a number of designs before my retirement. The quality of my writing certainly did improve after that was finished.", "context": "retired engineer", "use_case": "containers", "switched_from": "", "story": "A whirlwind tour of systemd-nspawn containers (2025)"}, {"id": 798371376, "item_id": 49898211, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49898211", "by": "bita_nidir", "date": "2026-09-29", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I'm currently using systemd-nspawn via mkosi", "excerpt": "I'll give this one a try, thanks for sharing! FWIW, I'm currently using systemd-nspawn via mkosi: https://github.com/systemd/mkosi It makes an image and runs it in separate namespace. It can start at bash or init. It's very fast but there seem to be a problem creating an Ubuntu image on Debian and vice versa.", "context": "", "use_case": "Linux containers", "switched_from": "", "story": "Show HN: NSL \u2013 WSL for Linux"}, {"id": 745278448, "item_id": 46579903, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46579903", "by": "notme43", "date": "2026-01-11", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Systemd-nspawn containers are super easy to spin up, as you basically install Gentoo from stage3 and it works like a chroot but with a full init.", "excerpt": "Yes - still use emerge on the Thinkpad like I would on the host, like emerge -avuDN @world and such. This is the wiki article [1] I used to set up most the portage side of things, it covers NFS as well. I use NFS to mount the container's /etc/portage to /mnt/portage and symlink the files to the Thinkpad's /etc/portage so I can cherry pick the files I want to keep in sync with the build container. Don't have to mess w", "context": "runs Gentoo with a build container and binhost", "use_case": "Gentoo build container", "switched_from": "", "story": "Gentoo Linux 2025 Review"}]}