How does QuadletGen compare to the containers/podlet CLI?

The containers/podlet CLI is a local Rust command-line tool installed via Cargo or distro packages. QuadletGen runs in the browser with zero installation, previews all generated unit files side by side, separates secret .env files on toggle, and bundles multi-service stacks into a single ZIP download.

How do I deploy the downloaded -quadlet.zip bundle to a remote Linux VPS?

Transfer the ZIP file with scp, extract its contents into ~/.config/containers/systemd/ for rootless mode, tighten permissions with chmod 600 *.env, and run systemctl --user daemon-reload followed by the generated start commands.

Are there limits on how many services or volumes I can package in one ZIP?

No. Because conversion and ZIP packaging execute locally in your browser memory, stacks with two containers or twenty containers convert without artificial limits or account gates.

How do I remove a Quadlet stack cleanly on my server?

Stop the running services with systemctl --user stop, delete the corresponding .container, .network, and .volume files from ~/.config/containers/systemd/, and run systemctl --user daemon-reload.

Podman 4.4+ systemd unit preset Scope: rootless

Podlet Online Multi-Container Quadlet Network and ZIP Packager

Convert complete multi-container Compose stacks into linked Quadlet bundles right in your browser without installing Rust, Cargo, or local container engines. Automatically generate shared .network units, split secrets into .env files, and export a single <stack>-quadlet.zip package.

Compose -> Quadlet Cheat Sheet Technical Notes Preset FAQ Related Generators

1-Click Stack Quick-Load Zero server uploads. Runs locally in browser memory.

Sample Stack Template

Stack Name Prefix

Install Scope

SELinux Mounts

AutoUpdate=registry Generate shared .network Extract secrets to .env

Drop compose.yaml / .txt here or browse .yml .yaml .txt

Detected mode: compose-yaml | Generated units: 7 (3 services) | Target directory: ~/.config/containers/systemd/

3 .container units .network DNS: appstack.network (aardvark-dns) 2 .volume units .env secrets: appstack.env (chmod 600) Install path: ~/.config/containers/systemd/

Compose YAML or Docker / Podman Run Input Mode: compose-yaml

services:
  web:
    image: node:22-alpine
    working_dir: /srv/app
    command: ["node", "server.js"]
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    volumes:
      - ./app:/srv/app
    environment:
      NODE_ENV: production
      DATABASE_URL: postgres://appuser@postgres:5432/appdb
      REDIS_URL: redis://redis:6379/0
      SESSION_SECRET: s3cr3t-session-signing-value
    depends_on:
      postgres:
        condition: service_healthy
      redis:
        condition: service_started
    restart: unless-stopped

postgres:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    volumes:
      - postgres-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: appuser
      POSTGRES_DB: appdb
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: strong-postgres-password
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U appuser -d appdb"]
      interval: 10s
      retries: 5
    restart: unless-stopped

redis:
    image: redis:7-alpine
    command: redis-server --appendonly yes
    volumes:
      - redis-data:/data
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "redis-cli", "ping"]
      interval: 10s
      retries: 5
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  postgres-data:
  redis-data:

Generated Quadlet systemd Units

# === web.container (~/.config/containers/systemd/web.container) ===
[Unit]
Description=appstack web container
Wants=network-online.target
After=network-online.target
After=appstack-network.service
After=postgres.service
Requires=postgres.service
After=redis.service
Requires=redis.service

[Container]
Image=docker.io/library/node:22-alpine
ContainerName=web
Network=appstack.network
WorkingDir=/srv/app
Exec=node server.js
PublishPort=3000:3000
Volume=./app:/srv/app
EnvironmentFile=%h/.config/containers/systemd/appstack.env
Environment=NODE_ENV=production
Environment=DATABASE_URL=postgres://appuser@postgres:5432/appdb
Environment=REDIS_URL=redis://redis:6379/0

[Service]
Restart=always
TimeoutStartSec=900

[Install]
WantedBy=default.target

# === postgres.container (~/.config/containers/systemd/postgres.container) ===
[Unit]
Description=appstack postgres container
Wants=network-online.target
After=network-online.target
After=appstack-network.service

[Container]
Image=docker.io/library/postgres:16-alpine
ContainerName=postgres
Network=appstack.network
Volume=postgres-data.volume:/var/lib/postgresql/data
EnvironmentFile=%h/.config/containers/systemd/appstack.env
Environment=POSTGRES_USER=appuser
Environment=POSTGRES_DB=appdb
HealthCmd=pg_isready -U appuser -d appdb
HealthInterval=10s
HealthRetries=5

[Service]
Restart=always
TimeoutStartSec=900

[Install]
WantedBy=default.target

# === redis.container (~/.config/containers/systemd/redis.container) ===
[Unit]
Description=appstack redis container
Wants=network-online.target
After=network-online.target
After=appstack-network.service

[Container]
Image=docker.io/library/redis:7-alpine
ContainerName=redis
Network=appstack.network
Exec=redis-server --appendonly yes
Volume=redis-data.volume:/data
HealthCmd=redis-cli ping
HealthInterval=10s
HealthRetries=5

[Service]
Restart=always
TimeoutStartSec=900

[Install]
WantedBy=default.target

# === appstack.network (~/.config/containers/systemd/appstack.network) ===
[Unit]
Description=appstack shared Podman network

[Network]
NetworkName=appstack

# === postgres-data.volume (~/.config/containers/systemd/postgres-data.volume) ===
[Unit]
Description=postgres-data Podman volume

[Volume]
VolumeName=postgres-data

# === redis-data.volume (~/.config/containers/systemd/redis-data.volume) ===
[Unit]
Description=redis-data Podman volume

[Volume]
VolumeName=redis-data

# === appstack.env (~/.config/containers/systemd/appstack.env) ===
SESSION_SECRET=s3cr3t-session-signing-value
POSTGRES_PASSWORD=strong-postgres-password

systemd Deployment & Reload Commands

mkdir -p ~/.config/containers/systemd
chmod 600 ~/.config/containers/systemd/appstack.env
systemctl --user daemon-reload && systemctl --user start web.service postgres.service redis.service
systemctl --user status web.service postgres.service redis.service
loginctl enable-linger $USER

Technical notes for Podlet Online Packager

01
Runs in any desktop or mobile browser with zero binary installation, making it practical on macOS, Windows laptops, or locked-down workstations when preparing Linux server deployments.
02
Automatically synthesizes a shared <stack>.network unit even when the input compose.yaml relies on Docker Compose implicit default networking.
03
Packages every generated .container, .network, .volume, and .env file into a standards-compliant PKZIP archive ready to copy over scp or sftp.
04
Displays exact systemctl reload and service start commands matched to your chosen rootless or rootful install scope.

Syntax Mapping Reference

Compose Key -> Quadlet Directive Cheat Sheet

Quick lookup for how Compose YAML fields and docker or podman run flags translate into Podman systemd unit directives.

Compose Key / CLI Flag	Unit Section	Quadlet Directive	Linux systemd Behavior
services.<app>.image	[Container]	Image=docker.io/library/...	Use a fully qualified registry host when AutoUpdate=registry is enabled.
ports: ["8080:80"] / -p	[Container]	PublishPort=8080:80	Repeats once per published host port; supports bind IP and /udp protocol suffixes.
volumes: ["./data:/data"] / -v	[Container] + .volume	Volume=/srv/data:/data:Z	Named volumes map to <name>.volume units; bind mounts append :z or :Z on SELinux hosts.
environment / env_file / -e	[Container]	Environment= / EnvironmentFile=	Sensitive password, token, and key entries extract into <stack>.env with chmod 600.
depends_on	[Unit]	After=<dep>.service + Requires=	Starts PostgreSQL, MariaDB, and Redis units before dependent web or worker units.
networks (or stack default)	[Container] + .network	Network=<stack>.network	Creates an aardvark-dns bridge so peer containers resolve each other by service name.
restart: unless-stopped	[Service] + [Install]	Restart=always + WantedBy=	systemd restarts crashed containers and launches units on boot or user linger.
healthcheck.test / interval	[Container]	HealthCmd= / HealthInterval=	Translates CMD and CMD-SHELL probes along with retries, timeout, and start_period.
devices / cap_add / user	[Container]	AddDevice= / AddCapability= / User=	Passes /dev/dri GPU render nodes and scoped Linux capabilities without --privileged.
io.containers.autoupdate	[Container]	AutoUpdate=registry	Works with podman-auto-update.timer to pull newer image digests and roll services.

Frequently asked questions

How does QuadletGen compare to the containers/podlet CLI?: The containers/podlet CLI is a local Rust command-line tool installed via Cargo or distro packages. QuadletGen runs in the browser with zero installation, previews all generated unit files side by side, separates secret .env files on toggle, and bundles multi-service stacks into a single ZIP download.
How do I deploy the downloaded <stack>-quadlet.zip bundle to a remote Linux VPS?: Transfer the ZIP file with scp, extract its contents into ~/.config/containers/systemd/ for rootless mode, tighten permissions with chmod 600 *.env, and run systemctl --user daemon-reload followed by the generated start commands.
Are there limits on how many services or volumes I can package in one ZIP?: No. Because conversion and ZIP packaging execute locally in your browser memory, stacks with two containers or twenty containers convert without artificial limits or account gates.
How do I remove a Quadlet stack cleanly on my server?: Stop the running services with systemctl --user stop, delete the corresponding .container, .network, and .volume files from ~/.config/containers/systemd/, and run systemctl --user daemon-reload.

Focused Workflows

Switch to another browser-local QuadletGen preset or read the systemd dry-run verification guide.

Core YAML Converter

Docker Compose to Podman Quadlet Converter

Free browser-local Docker Compose to Quadlet converter. Compile compose.yaml into Podman systemd .container, .network, .volume, and .env ZIP units.

Open Compose to Quadlet ->

AutoUpdate + systemd

Podman Quadlet Generator for Declarative systemd Services

Interactive Podman Quadlet generator for declarative systemd services. Configure AutoUpdate=registry, health checks, rootless paths, and .env files.

Open Quadlet Generator ->

CLI Flag Parser

Docker Run and Podman Run to Quadlet Converter

Paste any docker run or podman run command into this Podman run to Quadlet converter to generate clean .container systemd units with ports and mounts.

Open Docker Run to Quadlet ->

SELinux :z / :Z Mounts

Rootless Podman Quadlet Volume and SELinux Label Generator

Configure rootless Podman Quadlet volume z and Z bind mount labels for Fedora, RHEL, Bluefin, and CoreOS without permission denied container errors.

Open Rootless & SELinux ->

Self-Hosted Stacks

Podman Quadlet Examples for Immich, Nextcloud, and Vaultwarden

Ready-to-deploy Podman Quadlet Docker Compose examples for Immich, Nextcloud, Vaultwarden, and Postgres stacks with shared DNS networks and volumes.

Open Self-Hosted Templates ->

Architecture & Dry-Run Guide

QuadletGen Conversion Rules and systemd Dry-Run Verification

Review how QuadletGen synthesizes .container, .network, .volume, and .env units locally and how to verify syntax with podman/quadlet --dryrun.

Read architecture guide ->

How QuadletGen compares with containers/podlet CLI and Podman Desktop

Choose the right workflow for converting Compose stacks and container commands into Podman systemd units.

Capability	QuadletGen (Web)	containers/podlet CLI	Podman Desktop
Host setup required	Zero installation in any browser	Rust Cargo build, distro package, or container image	Desktop GUI plus local Podman machine and extension
Multi-file stack preview	Live unit tabs, combined view, and one-click .zip bundle	Writes separate files to disk or stdout per CLI run	Inspects running local pods or containers one by one
Shared .network synthesis	Automatic <stack>.network generation on toggle	Converts declared Compose networks via CLI flags	Depends on existing local Podman network state
SELinux :z and :Z volume toggle	Instant switch across none, shared :z, and private :Z	Manual volume string editing in input YAML or flags	Manual edit after generating the unit file
Secret .env extraction	Extracts sensitive keys into <stack>.env with EnvironmentFile=	Preserves inline environment entries unless pre-split	Inline Environment= lines by default
Data privacy	100% client-side JavaScript with zero server uploads	Local binary execution	Local desktop execution