This means that your operating system mounts system files as read-only.
This greatly increases both system stability and security.
Your system is more secure because rogue software can’t infiltrate or make changes to these components either.
On Fedora Workstation, you need administrative rights to manage system files.
This is what “sudo” grants in many of the commands you find across the web.
While this is a strong line of defense, there are some shortcomings.
Fedora Silverblue protects you against this.
When you install new apps, you download them in the form of RPMs.
When you remove software, you remove RPMs.
And when you download updatesyou guessed itmore RPMs.
Fedora Silverblue changes the paradigm.
It is an image-based operating system, meaning the core system is one image identical across many computers.
The version of Silverblue on your machine is identical to the one on the developer’s machine.
When you download an update, you replace your system image with a new image containing the latest software.
Instead, you userpm-ostreeto download updated images or make modifications to your image.
More on that later.
You Must Use Toolbx to Use DNF Instead
DNF isn’t off limits to Fedora Silverblue users.
It’s just that instead of downloading RPMs to your system, you stick them in containers.
That’s where Toolbx comes in.
Toolbx is a terminal-based tool to create containerized spaces for you to install and manage packages.
This comes with certain advantages.
you might give multiple websites their own container, and the same is true for software development.
Let’s say you’re not a developer.
Toolbx is still where you go to install other terminal-based tools you’ve come to rely on.
Toolbx is available for Fedora Workstation as well.
Flatpak Is the Default Format for Apps
Flatpak is a universal app format for Linux desktops.
This is a far cry from the way Linux has traditionally functioned.
Most Linux distros, including Fedora Workstation, have the ability to install Flatpak apps.
What sets Fedora Silverblue apart is that Flatpaks are the expected, default way to install apps.
The app store provides Flatpaks, whether directly from Fedora or from Flathub.
There are ways to install traditional RPMs if needed.
You will instead need to launch the app from the command line each time.
Installing Flatpaks is a much more straightforward experience.
On traditional Linux distros, like Fedora Workstation, undoing a system update is a tricky process.
Simply select an older release during boot.
You may need to hold down a certain key to bring up the list of options.
Or to permanently roll back, you’re able to use therpm-ostree rollbackcommand.
To restore your system, you don’t need to look at changelogs or even know what changed.
This makes rolling back a system something a less computer-savvy person can figure out.
In contrast, you canrebase to the upcoming version of Fedora Silverbluewith zero risk.
That’s right, zero.
Should You Switch to Fedora Silverblue?
Fedora Silverblue has reached a point where it is a stable, mature alternative to Fedora Workstation.
But it’s not for everyone.
