A simplified Linux distribution built from containers, for containers. Everything in RancherOS is a container managed by Docker. It includes only the bare minimum amount of software needed to run Docker. Everything else can be pulled dynamically through Docker.
RancherOS makes it simple to run containers at scale in development, test and production. By containerizing system services and leveraging Docker for management, the operating system provides a very reliable and easy to manage container-ready environment.
System services are defined by Docker Compose and automatically configured using cloud-init, reducing administrative burden. Unneeded libraries and services are eliminated, resulting in a significantly reduced footprint and minimizing the hassle of updating, patching and maintaining a container host operating system.
