--- title: "Cubex" description: "Cubex - from Carbonwarp" --- > Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://carbonwarp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Cubex # Cubex
Cubex is a proof of concept about how container environments can be configured at startup rather than creation. It works with OCI-compliant images to create and manage isolated container environments called **subsystems**, running rootless by default.
It explores whether separating the container image from its runtime configuration can provide a more adaptable approach. Instead of recreating an environment for different requirements, Cubex aims to let configurations be adjusted when a subsystem starts, including how it accesses host resources.
**Warning:** Cubex is an experimental proof of concept. Its behavior, limitations, and security properties have not been fully evaluated. Do not rely on it for production or security-critical workloads. Cubex in Action Currently, it can search, pull, and store images, and create subsystems that either optin to run as if host at start or isolated (though it also has network access but, just isolated from host's). # Install Cubex is available for Linux via sideloading . View Public Key ``` -----View Public Key----- mDMEasQRTRYJKwYBBAHaRw8BAQdAMa1vpexLNi3tWaCtT2XV86QUyuON6IO3fg2w J/ZVMVG0GUN1YmV4IDxjdWJleEBjdWJleC5hbHBoYT6IeAQwFgoAIBYhBEehYo+M UA4JKoTwg26LJ7DxHOUHBQJqxpzEAh0gAAoJEG6LJ7DxHOUHXeQBAP8sze90C3tn B3HLf17V7vM3JlWjlSoJPSa0qU3iKjMdAQDfo3ObC+YyWsRImFEcJxInxu2v09HH vl8BokeLdp5WCYiTBBMWCgA7FiEER6Fij4xQDgkqhPCDbosnsPEc5QcFAmrEEU0C GwMFCwkIBwICIgIGFQoJCAsCBBYCAwECHgcCF4AACgkQbosnsPEc5QfoNQD/TuAV ksFgb3hG4+Nm5Ne9SGDezITZOxHa2AXI035fwhQBAOAaQUfA8+ZOvuBB9vahEaj5 3aI5EWYPzcNpxCLn6+4MtB5DdWJleCA8c3VwcG9ydEBjYXJib253YXJwLmNvbT6I kwQTFgoAOxYhBEehYo+MUA4JKoTwg26LJ7DxHOUHBQJqxpzEAhsDBQsJCAcCAiIC BhUKCQgLAgQWAgMBAh4HAheAAAoJEG6LJ7DxHOUHaPIBAPDVSbmbk4sXhYxBzqI3 VFoRoxDyNf1GIVCyLlvqmBM9AQDm7da0JMlPeIvfRWmhMV4DEsgCIvMcQXryEedF da0uCg== =VxW7 -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- ``` Public key is also available at ### DEB # DEB ## Debian, Ubuntu, Mint, and Pop!\_OS ```bash curl -fL -o cubex-latest.deb https://repo.carbonwarp.com/cubex/deb sudo apt install ./cubex-latest.deb ``` ### Remove ```bash sudo apt remove cubex ``` ### RPM # RPM ## Fedora / RHEL / Rocky / AlmaLinux / CentOS Stream ```bash sudo rpm --import https://repo.carbonwarp.com/cubex/public.asc curl -fL -o cubex-latest.rpm https://repo.carbonwarp.com/cubex/rpm sudo dnf install ./cubex-latest.rpm ``` ### Remove ```bash sudo dnf remove cubex ``` ## openSUSE / SLES ```bash sudo rpm --import https://repo.carbonwarp.com/cubex/public.asc curl -fL -o cubex-latest.rpm https://repo.carbonwarp.com/cubex/rpm sudo zypper install ./cubex-latest.rpm ``` ### Remove ```bash sudo zypper remove cubex ``` ## Fedora Silverblue / Kinoite / Bazzite ```bash sudo rpm --import https://repo.carbonwarp.com/cubex/public.asc curl -fL -o cubex-latest.rpm https://repo.carbonwarp.com/cubex/rpm rpm-ostree install ./cubex-latest.rpm systemctl reboot ``` ### Remove ```bash rpm-ostree uninstall cubex ``` ### Check the key fingerprint (optional) ```bash curl -fsSL https://repo.carbonwarp.com/cubex/public.asc | gpg --show-keys --fingerprint ``` ### ARCH # Arch ## Arch Linux / Manjaro / EndeavourOS ```bash curl -fL -o cubex-latest.pkg.tar.zst https://repo.carbonwarp.com/cubex/arch sudo pacman -U ./cubex-latest.pkg.tar.zst ``` ### Remove ```bash sudo pacman -R cubex ``` # How to use Lets try running firefox in a cubex subsystem that uses a debian bookworm image. 1. **Install** - First make sure you have installed the latest cubex version. - It's understandable that it's hard to sideload everytime, uninstall, and then install, but a proper way will be provided ASAP. 2. **Pull image** ```bash cubex pull debian:bookworm-slim ``` ``` pulling image's pulled. Preparing and writing on cubex registry... done d4c45f66efc59f89b0597d343a9bd72808493c0eacecde5285961743252cee23 ``` It pulls the image into the same registry podman and buildah use as OCI-compliant. Currently cubex does not work directly with OCI artifacts so, the image's changed into a custom cubex image and stored in cubex registry which can be used to create the subsystem The tag after done is the image id. There's no need to use the whole ID but just enough to use so that it could be identified distintively from other image IDs 3. **Search in registries** The (local) registries' divided into two; one for images and the other for containers ```bash cubex list ``` ``` SUBSYSTEM NAME IMAGE ID ``` It lists all the containers or the header if no containers found ```bash cubex list registry ``` ``` IMAGE ID REMOTE REPOSITORY SIZE d4c45f66efc5 docker.io/library/debian:bookworm-slim 82M ``` It checks the image registry and shows the image/s it finds. 4. **Create Cubex subsystem** A current limitation is that subsystem only works with its and images with its ID. To create a subsystem. Type `cubex create` followed by the image id and the subsystem name of your choice orderly as follows ```bash cubex create d4c45f66efc5 bookworm ``` ``` Done. Try cubex run bookworm ``` You dont need to start anything. Just cubex run is enough and it will bring to bash or else sh. 5. **Start** ```bash cubex start bookworm --optall ``` This starts the subsystem. --optall gives all components from display and ssh to host home as root and host network. without it, it gives an isolated subsystem. We can use it by `cubex run` ``` Successfully started bookworm. You may run "cubex run bookworm" to get a shell that you can use ``` ### Lets install firefox 6. **Run** ```bash cubex run bookworm ``` This gives a shell. If it finds bash it gives or it defaults to whatever the subsystem / image has in bin/sh ``` root@localhost:/# ``` Here, host HOME is root home 7. **Run firefox** ```bash apt update && apt install firefox-esr ``` ``` 0 upgraded, 199 newly installed, 0 to remove and 1 not upgraded. Need to get 211 MB of archives. After this operation, 846 MB of additional disk space will be used. Do you want to continue? [Y/n] apt update && apt install firefox-esr ``` type `Y` to proceed ```bash firefox ``` Screenshot of the component showcase page Screenshot of the component showcase page 8. **Stop** Now we can stop the container by closing firefox, exiting the shell, and running `cubex stop` or just opening another terminal tab in host and running `cubex stop`. ```bash cubex stop bookworm ``` If it doesn't stop you can force stop by `cubex stop bookworm --force` ```bash cubex stop bookworm ``` You can use `cubex list` to list all containers. you can only do factory cleanup that removes all cubex registry image and containers in one command via `cubex clean` to remove all data related to cubex or `cubex clean subsystem` to remove containers. Source: https://carbonwarp.com/cubex/index.mdx