Rocky Linux from CIQ bootable container images now available

Rocky Linux from CIQ (RLC) now ships as bootable container images, letting organizations deploy and manage their Linux infrastructure using the same container workflows they use for applications. Bootc images join RLC's existing delivery options alongside traditional ISOs, QCOW2 images, and cloud marketplace listings. Bootc images are included with your RLC subscription at no additional cost.

The bootc deployment model emerged from the Fedora project's work on immutable and container-native Linux. CIQ has implemented this technology for Rocky Linux with full commercial support, giving RLC customers another way to provision their infrastructure depending on what their environment requires.

What bootc means for OS management

Traditional Linux systems install from an ISO or network image, then evolve through years of package updates, configuration changes, and manual interventions. Each system drifts from its original state. When something breaks, troubleshooting means understanding years of accumulated changes.

Bootc inverts this model. Your operating system is packaged as an OCI container image containing the kernel, bootloader, drivers, and complete userspace. You build that image once, test it as a unit, then deploy it identically to bare metal, virtual machines, or cloud instances. Updates replace the entire OS image atomically rather than patching individual packages.

The Fedora project deserves credit for developing the underlying bootc technology as part of its exploration of container-native Linux deployments. Red Hat's productized implementation is called "image mode." CIQ's implementation brings these same capabilities to Rocky Linux customers who want modern deployment workflows with the commercial support and security response their production environments require.

Bootc works well for specific use cases: edge deployments where remote systems need reliable unattended updates, fleet management where hundreds or thousands of systems must stay identical, CI/CD-driven infrastructure where testing the complete OS stack matters, and any environment where configuration drift creates operational burden. Traditional package-based deployment remains the right choice for workstations, development systems, and environments where runtime package installation is a regular workflow.

How bootc images work

A bootc image contains everything needed to boot a complete Linux system. Unlike application containers that run atop a host OS, bootc images are the host OS. They include the Linux kernel, boot loader, device drivers, system services, and userspace packages, all packaged in the standard OCI container format.

This packaging choice matters because it enables familiar workflows. Pull images from container registries using Podman or Docker. Build derived images using Containerfiles. Store and version images alongside your application containers. Test your infrastructure the same way you test your applications.

Once installed, a bootc system updates by pulling new images from your registry. The bootc tooling stages the update, and on reboot, the system activates the new image. If something goes wrong, rollback is a single command. The previous image remains available until explicitly removed.

The base system is immutable by default. The root filesystem is read-only, preventing runtime modifications to system files. Configuration in /etc and persistent data in /var remain writable, so your systems can still be configured and maintain state across updates. This design eliminates configuration drift in the base OS while preserving operational flexibility where you need it.

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What's available today

RLC bootc images are available for both current RLC 9 (starting with 9.7) and RLC 9.6 LTS. Choose your version based on your operational requirements: RLC 9 for environments that want current packages and features with rolling updates, or RLC 9.6 LTS for production environments requiring extended maintenance and predictable change cycles.

Both versions include three image variants:

rlc-bootc is the full-featured image with a comprehensive package set. Start here if you're evaluating bootc or need a complete base system.

rlc-bootc-cloud includes cloud-init for automatic provisioning in cloud and virtualized environments. Use this when deploying to AWS, Azure, GCP, OpenStack, or any platform that provides cloud-init data sources.

rlc-bootc-minimal provides the smallest bootable RLC system. Use this as the base for purpose-built appliances where you want to add only the specific packages your workload requires.

All variants support both x86_64 and aarch64 architectures.

Pre-built QCOW2 disk images are available for the standard and cloud variants, ready for immediate deployment to KVM, libvirt, or OpenStack environments. For other platforms (VMWare, Hyper-V, AWS, AMIs), you can convert any OCI image using bootc-image-builder.

Getting started with RLC bootc images

RLC bootc images are available from CIQ Depot as part of your Rocky Linux from CIQ subscription. Like other RLC delivery formats, bootc images are included at no additional cost.

Authenticate with Depot using your credentials from the CIQ Portal, then pull images using standard container tooling:

podman login depot.ciq.com
podman pull depot.ciq.com/.../rlc-bootc:9

For virtualized environments, download pre-built QCOW2 images from the CIQ Portal and boot them directly to your hypervisor.

Building derived images follows the same pattern as application containers. Create a Containerfile that starts from an RLC bootc base image, register with Depot to enable package installation, add your packages and configuration, then build using Podman with your Depot credentials passed as build secrets.

Complete documentation covering repository paths, deployment examples, derived image workflows, and update procedures is available at https://docs.ciq.com.

Conclusion

Bootc changes how Linux systems can be built and maintained. Building once, testing as a unit, and deploying identical images everywhere eliminates the drift that accumulates when hundreds of systems receive years of individual package updates.

CIQ's bootc implementation for Rocky Linux delivers this capability with the commercial support, security response SLAs, and long-term maintenance that enterprise deployments require. Organizations already using RLC gain another deployment option that fits naturally alongside their existing container workflows.

If your organization manages fleet infrastructure, edge deployments, or any environment where atomic updates and rollback capability would reduce operational burden, RLC bootc images are worth evaluating. Contact CIQ sales to discuss how bootc fits your infrastructure needs, or explore the documentation at https://docs.ciq.com to get started.