# Installation

🚨 **CRITICAL SAFETY WARNING** 🚨

**bootc installation involves DESTRUCTIVE operations that can WIPE your disk and data!**

- `bootc install to-disk` will **DESTROY** existing partitions and data
- `grub-install` operations can **CORRUPT** your bootloader
- **THIS IS EXPERIMENTAL SOFTWARE** - Expect failures and data loss
- Always test on a **virtual machine** or **test hardware** first
- Never run on production systems without proper backups
- **MANDATORY**: Use `BOOTC_CONFIRM_DISK_WIPE=1` environment variable to confirm you understand the risks

## Base Images

Many users will be more interested in base (container) images for Debian.

## Debian

Currently, the Debian bootc project is focused on providing bootc support for Debian-based systems.

For pre-built base images, any Debian derivative can be converted to use bootc. However, since bootc is not yet available as a Debian package, you'll need to compile it from source.

### Prerequisites

- Debian Sid (unstable) - Recommended for base image building (like Fedora rawhide)
- Debian 13 (Trixie) - Stable, but bootc is experimental
- Debian 12 (Bookworm) - oldstable, OSTree packages too old
- Debian 14 (Forky) - testing, has newer OSTree libraries
- Systemd as the init system
- Root access for installation
- Development tools and dependencies for compiling bootc

### Installation Steps

1. **Install build dependencies:**
   ```bash
   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install -y build-essential git pkg-config libostree-dev libglib2.0-dev libgpgme-dev libseccomp-dev
   ```

2. **Install runtime dependencies:**
   ```bash
   sudo apt install -y ostree podman
   ```

3. **Clone and build bootc:**
   ```bash
   git clone https://github.com/containers/bootc.git
   cd bootc
   make
   sudo make install
   ```

4. **Verify installation:**
   ```bash
   bootc --version
   ```

### Converting Existing Debian Systems

Converting an existing Debian system to use bootc requires careful planning:

1. **Backup your system** - This is a major change to how your OS updates work
2. **Prepare a bootc-compatible base image** - This should be based on your current Debian installation
3. **Test the conversion process** - Use a virtual machine or test system first
4. **Execute the conversion** - Follow the bootc conversion guide for Debian

### Debian-Specific Considerations

- **Source Compilation**: Since bootc is not packaged for Debian yet, you'll need to compile from source
- **OSTree Version Requirements**: 
  - Debian 12 (Bookworm): OSTree packages too old, not recommended
  - Debian 13 (Trixie): Has newer OSTree libraries, recommended for bootc
  - Debian 14 (Forky): Has latest OSTree libraries, ideal for bootupd/bootc
- **Backporting**: Newer OSTree libraries from Forky can be backported to Trixie
- **Package Management**: bootc works alongside `apt` for application packages while managing the base OS through container images
- **Configuration**: System configuration follows Debian conventions with `/etc` for machine-local settings
- **Services**: systemd services work normally, with bootc managing the base OS layer
- **Updates**: OS updates are handled through bootc, while application updates continue to use `apt`
- **Development Status**: This is HIGHLY EXPERIMENTAL software - DO NOT use in production
- **No Reproducible Images**: No one has successfully created reproducible bootc images yet
- **Testing Only**: Use only for testing on virtual machines or test hardware

## Other Distributions

bootc itself is not tied to Debian derivatives; this issue tracks the main blocker for other distributions. However, Debian provides a solid foundation for bootc implementation due to its:

- Mature package management system
- Strong systemd integration
- Extensive hardware support
- Long-term support releases

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