apt-ostree

Debian/Ubuntu equivalent of rpm-ostree for managing atomic, immutable deployments using OSTree.

🎯 What is apt-ostree?

apt-ostree is a tool that brings the benefits of atomic, immutable operating systems to Debian and Ubuntu systems. It provides functionality similar to rpm-ostree but adapted for APT package management, enabling:

• Atomic updates - System updates happen atomically with rollback capability
• Immutable base system - Core system files are read-only and versioned
• Layered package management - Additional packages can be layered on top
• OSTree integration - Uses OSTree for filesystem management and versioning

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Debian Trixie (13) or Forky (14), or Ubuntu Noble (24.04) or newer
• OSTree tools installed
• Rust development environment

Installation

Option 1: Install from Debian Package

# Install dependencies
sudo apt update
sudo apt install ostree libostree-1-1 systemd

# Install apt-ostree package
sudo dpkg -i apt-ostree_0.1.0-2_amd64.deb

Option 2: Build from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/robojerk/apt-ostree.git
cd apt-ostree

# Install build dependencies
sudo apt install build-essential cargo rustc pkg-config \
    libostree-dev libglib2.0-dev libcurl4-gnutls-dev \
    libssl-dev libsystemd-dev libmount-dev libselinux1-dev \
    libapt-pkg-dev debhelper dh-cargo

# Build for Debian Trixie/Forky
./build-debian-trixie.sh

# Install the built package
sudo dpkg -i ../apt-ostree_0.1.0-2_amd64.deb

🔧 Building for Different Distributions

Debian Trixie/Forky (Debian 13/14)

# Use the specialized build script
./build-debian-trixie.sh

This script:

• Verifies system compatibility
• Checks for libapt-pkg7.0 support
• Builds with correct dependencies
• Tests package installation

Ubuntu Noble (24.04)

# Use the standard Debian build process
./debian/build.sh

📦 Package Compatibility

Distribution	Version	libapt-pkg	Status	Notes
Debian Trixie	13	7.0	✅ Supported	Tested and working
Debian Forky	14	7.0	✅ Supported	Tested and working
Ubuntu Noble	24.04	6.0	✅ Supported	Original target
Ubuntu Jammy	22.04	6.0	⚠️ May work	Not tested

🎯 Usage Examples

# Check system status
apt-ostree status

# Install packages atomically
apt-ostree install firefox libreoffice

# Update system
apt-ostree upgrade

# Rollback to previous deployment
apt-ostree rollback

# View deployment history
apt-ostree log

# Create new deployment from container
apt-ostree deploy ghcr.io/your-org/debian-ostree:latest

🏗️ Architecture

apt-ostree works by:

1. Creating OSTree deployments from APT package selections
2. Managing atomic updates through OSTree commits
3. Providing rollback capability to previous deployments
4. Integrating with systemd for boot management

🔍 Troubleshooting

Library Compatibility Issues

If you encounter libapt-pkg.so.6.0: cannot open shared object file:

# Check your libapt-pkg version
pkg-config --modversion libapt-pkg

# For Debian Trixie/Forky, you need version 3.0.0+
# For Ubuntu Noble, version 2.0.0+ is sufficient

Build Failures

# Clean and rebuild
cargo clean
./build-debian-trixie.sh

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Test on target distributions
5. Submit a pull request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the GPL-3.0-or-later License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Inspired by rpm-ostree from the Fedora project
• Built on the excellent rust-apt crate
• OSTree integration powered by the OSTree project