podman images: List Local Images
podman images shows the images in local storage with their repository, tag, ID, and size.
podman images mirrors docker images. The --format Go template is the reliable way to extract a single field in a script without fragile column parsing.
What it does
podman images (alias podman image ls) lists the images stored locally, one row per repository:tag, including the image ID, creation time, and size. It accepts Go template output and filters for scripting.
Common usage
podman images
podman images --quiet
podman images --filter "reference=ghcr.io/owner/*"
podman images --format '{{.Repository}}:{{.Tag}} {{.ID}}'Options
| Flag | What it does |
|---|---|
| -q, --quiet | Print only image IDs |
| -a, --all | Include intermediate images |
| --filter <f> | Filter, e.g. reference=, dangling=true, before=, since= |
| --format <tmpl> | Go template output, e.g. {{.Repository}}:{{.Tag}} |
| --digests | Show the manifest digest column |
| --noheading | Omit the header row |
In CI
Use --format with a Go template rather than parsing columns, since spaces in sizes and times break awk-based scripts. --filter dangling=true lists untagged leftovers you can feed to podman rmi to reclaim space.
Common errors in CI
An empty list right after a build inside a container usually means a different storage location, often because rootless and root use separate stores; run the same user that built the image. "Error: error parsing format ..." means a malformed Go template; check the {{.Field}} names against podman images --format with a known field.