Tech riderRev. 3 Oct 2026
- 1Runs onAPI, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows
- 2CostsFree plan
- 3Rootless modeYes
- 4Image buildingYes
- 5Image formatoci
- 6Runtime interfaceother
- 7Supported host OSLinux
7 lines stated Written from the maker's own pages: linuxcontainers.org
Overview
Incus is ranked #3 of 31 in container engines on Specifiction. It runs on API, Linux, macOS, Self-hosted, Windows. There is a free plan.
Incus plans and pricing
All plansCompared on container engines
- Free plan
- Yeslinuxcontainers.org
- Rootless mode
- Yeslinuxcontainers.org
- Image building
- Yeslinuxcontainers.org
- Image format
- ocilinuxcontainers.org
- Runtime interface
- otherlinuxcontainers.org
- Supported host OS
- Linuxlinuxcontainers.org
Facts
- Purpose
- Incus is a system container, application container, and virtual machine manager.linuxcontainers.org · 2 Oct 2026
- Shared infrastructure
- Containers and virtual machines can share the same underlying storage and network.linuxcontainers.org · 2 Oct 2026
- Management
- Instances can be managed with a command line tool, the REST API, or third-party tools and integrations.linuxcontainers.org · 2 Oct 2026
- Features
- Incus supports snapshots, backup and recovery, instance migration, configurable storage pools and networks, and resource controls.linuxcontainers.org · 2 Oct 2026
- Scale
- The project describes the API as scaling from a laptop to clusters of thousands of compute nodes.linuxcontainers.org · 2 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- Documented integrations include Terraform, OpenTofu, Ansible, Packer, Distrobuilder, GARM, Kubernetes Cluster API, and Incant.linuxcontainers.org · 2 Oct 2026
- Security
- Containers are unprivileged by default, and the security guide recommends restricting daemon access and using supported versions.linuxcontainers.org · 2 Oct 2026
- Security limitation
- Local access to the Incus Unix socket grants full control of Incus, so the guide recommends giving it only to trusted users.linuxcontainers.org · 2 Oct 2026
- Linux server
- The Incus daemon runs on Linux; builds for other operating systems include only the client.linuxcontainers.org · 2 Oct 2026
- Client platforms
- The Incus client is available for Windows and macOS, and the installation guide also lists FreeBSD client packages.linuxcontainers.org · 2 Oct 2026
- Releases
- The Incus 6.0 LTS release is supported until June 2029, while feature releases are published about monthly and normally supported until the next release.linuxcontainers.org · 2 Oct 2026
- Support
- Community support is available through the Linux Containers forum, and Zabbly provides commercial support for users of its Debian or Ubuntu packages.linuxcontainers.org · 2 Oct 2026
- License
- Incus is free software developed under the Apache 2 license.linuxcontainers.org · 2 Oct 2026
- What it does
- Incus is a system container, application container, and virtual machine manager.linuxcontainers.org · 3 Oct 2026
- Cloud-like management
- Incus lets users manage containers and virtual machines that share underlying storage and networking.linuxcontainers.org · 3 Oct 2026
- Access
- Instances can be managed through a command line tool, the REST API, or third-party tools and integrations.linuxcontainers.org · 3 Oct 2026
- Images
- Incus provides images for a wide range of Linux distributions, published daily.linuxcontainers.org · 3 Oct 2026
- Local access limit
- Access to the Incus Unix socket grants full control of Incus, so the documentation advises giving it only to users trusted with root access.linuxcontainers.org · 3 Oct 2026
- Supported hosts
- The Incus daemon works on Linux; the client is available on most platforms, and the project specifically identifies Windows and macOS clients.linuxcontainers.org · 3 Oct 2026
- Installation
- Incus upstream does not directly provide packages; packages are available through Linux distributions or third-party repositories, and it can also be installed from source.linuxcontainers.org · 3 Oct 2026
- Release support
- Incus offers LTS and feature releases; its page states that Incus 6.0 LTS is supported until June 2029, while feature releases are normally supported for about a month.linuxcontainers.org · 3 Oct 2026
- Commercial support
- The Incus project says commercial support is available from Zabbly.linuxcontainers.org · 3 Oct 2026
- License and audience
- Incus is free software under the Apache 2 license, and the project describes it as suitable for development and production workloads.linuxcontainers.org · 3 Oct 2026
Company
- Founded
- 2023linuxcontainers.org · 28 Sept 2026
Best Incus alternatives
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Where it ranks on Specifiction
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Sources
- linuxcontainers.org/incus/· checked 2 Oct 2026
- linuxcontainers.org/incus/docs/main/third_party/· checked 2 Oct 2026
- linuxcontainers.org/incus/docs/main/explanation/security/· checked 2 Oct 2026
- linuxcontainers.org/incus/docs/main/installing/· checked 2 Oct 2026
- linuxcontainers.org/incus/docs/main/support/· checked 2 Oct 2026
- linuxcontainers.org/incus/docs/main/· checked 3 Oct 2026