---
name: "podman-save"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "podman"
version: "6.1.4-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/podman-save"
---

# podman-save(1)

Save image(s) to an archive or directory

## NAME

podman-save - Save image(s) to an archive or directory

## SYNOPSIS

**podman save** \[*options*\] *name*\[:*tag*\]

**podman image save** \[*options*\] *name*\[:*tag*\]

## DESCRIPTION

**podman save** saves an image to a local file or directory. **podman save** writes to STDOUT by default and can be redirected to a file using the **output** flag. The **quiet** flag suppresses the output when set. **podman save** saves parent layers of the image(s) and the image(s) can be loaded using **podman load**. To export the containers, use the **podman export**. Note: **:** is a restricted character and cannot be part of the file name.

**podman save** operates on *images*: the resulting archive (OCI or docker-archive) preserves the image's layers, history and tags, and is restored as the same image with **podman load**. This is different from **podman export**, which flattens a *container's* filesystem into a single-layer tarball with no image history. To capture a container's filesystem instead, see **[podman-export(1)](/podman-export/1.md)**.

## OPTIONS

### --compress

Compress tarball image layers when pushing to a directory using the 'dir' transport. (default is same compression type, compressed or uncompressed, as source)

Note: This flag can only be set with **--format=docker-dir**.

### --format=*format*

An image format to produce, one of:

| | |
| --- | --- |
| **Format** | **Description** |
| **docker-archive** | A tar archive interoperable with **docker load(1)** (the default) |
| **oci-archive** | A tar archive using the OCI Image Format |
| **oci-dir** | A directory using the OCI Image Format |
| **docker-dir** | **dir** transport (see **[containers-transports(5)](/containers-transports/5.md)**) with v2s2 manifest type |

Note: **oci-dir** and **docker-dir** cannot be loaded with **podman load** on Podman remote clients (including macOS and Windows, excluding WSL2)

### --help, -h

Print usage statement

### --multi-image-archive, -m

Allow for creating archives with more than one image.  Additional names are interpreted as images instead of tags.  Only supported for **--format=docker-archive**. The default for this option can be modified via the **multi\_image\_archive="true"\|"false"** flag in containers.conf.

### --output, -o=*file*

Write to a file, default is STDOUT

### --quiet, -q

Suppress the output

### --uncompressed

Accept uncompressed layers when using one of the OCI formats.

## EXAMPLES

Save image to a local file without displaying progress.

```
$ podman save --quiet -o alpine.tar alpine:2.6
```

Save image to stdout and redirect content via shell.

```
$ podman save alpine > alpine-all.tar
```

Save image in oci-archive format to the local file.

```
$ podman save -o oci-alpine.tar --format oci-archive alpine
```

Save image compressed in docker-dir format.

```
$ podman save --compress --format docker-dir -o alp-dir alpine
Getting image source signatures
Copying blob sha256:2fdfe1cd78c20d05774f0919be19bc1a3e4729bce219968e4188e7e0f1af679d
 1.97 MB / 1.97 MB [========================================================] 0s
Copying config sha256:501d1a8f0487e93128df34ea349795bc324d5e0c0d5112e08386a9dfaff620be
 584 B / 584 B [============================================================] 0s
Writing manifest to image destination
Storing signatures
```

## SEE ALSO

**[podman(1)](/podman/1.md)**, **[podman-load(1)](/podman-load/1.md)**, **[containers.conf(5)](/containers.conf/5.md)**, **[containers-transports(5)](/containers-transports/5.md)**

## HISTORY

July 2017, Originally compiled by Urvashi Mohnani umohnani@redhat.com ⟨mailto:umohnani@redhat.com⟩