Comment by blacklion
5 days ago
I'm using FreeBSD for self-hosting, home NAS and router from version 2.2.0. As it is my hobby projects, I don't want to migrate to Linux which is, IMHO, over-represented.
But it become harder and harder in recent years.
Reason? Docker.
Many current «server-side» products doesn't have good instructions how to install them «by hands» and is not very suitable for system-side packaging (creating port), as they have build systems designed to be used in CI with online access in build time (especially node.js-based and go-based ones, but rust goes same way).
Installation instructions, well-defined dependencies, good versioning, immutable source distribution files? Nah. «Take this Docker file and run it».
It is pity.
This may help you.
« An introduction to OCI Containers on FreeBSD
October 31, 2025 »
https://freebsdfoundation.org/blog/oci-containers-on-freebsd...
Thank you, I've missed this one.
Problem is, these prepared images contain Linux binaries. Using Linux emulation in FreeBSD for OSS project doesn't feel ... right?
I am absolutely not pressuring anyone to do anything that doesn't feel right.
But FreeBSD can run Linux binaries without needing a VM or anything, using the built-in "linuxulator", and in recent releases this means it can directly execute Linux OCI containers.
Which is pretty close to running those same containers on top of a Linux kernel, when you're still bypassing much of the OS.
You can pretty much study the Dockerfile of each docker image and you'll see how it's installed. It's all there, no magic