Bug Report: Critical Issue with Docker Standalone Environment Detection (Podman Misidentification)

[archeveck]

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Title: Portainer v2.33.3 Fails to Initialize Local Docker Standalone Endpoint, Erroneously Reports "Podman Environment"
📝 Problem description
Hello Portainer Team,
I am reporting a critical issue where Portainer-CE version 2.33.3 fails to correctly initialize the local Docker environment, consistently logging an error that suggests the environment is Podman when it is a standard Docker Engine. This error causes a persistent failure in environment initialization.
🔄 Steps of reproduction
The bug manifests immediately after a fresh, clean installation (including volume deletion) on a current Docker Engine version.
Preparation (Clean State):
Bash
docker stop portainer && docker rm portainer
docker volume rm portainer_data
docker volume create portainer_data
Deployment (Version Affected):
Bash
docker run -d -p 8000:8000 -p 9443:9443 --name portainer --restart always -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock -v portainer_data:/data portainer/portainer-ce:2.33.3
Observation:
Code snippet
2025/11/12 02:34PM ERR github.com/portainer/portainer/api/internal/snapshot/snapshot.go:213 > the Podman environment option doesn't support Docker environments. Please select the Docker option instead. | error="the Podman environment option doesn't support Docker environments. Please select the Docker option instead." endpoint=local
The Portainer container starts, but the following error is logged repeatedly (or after the first attempt to interact with the environment):
Configuration Attempt:
Even when configuring the endpoint via the web UI and explicitly selecting "Docker Standalone", the error persists in the logs, indicating a fundamental misidentification within the application logic.
💡 deep problem
The issue is definitively linked to the Portainer version, as demonstrated by the following diagnostic steps:
Docker API Issue Eliminated: The host Docker Engine was updated to a fully compatible version (Docker Engine 29.0.0, API 1.52). The initial fatal crash was resolved, but the "Podman" error persisted.
Data Corruption Eliminated: Multiple attempts with a complete volume purge (docker volume rm portainer_data) were performed. The bug reappeared immediately after the first initialization attempt.
Workaround Success: Downgrading the Portainer image to a known stable version 2.15.0 resolved the issue entirely. The version 2.15.0 initializes and operates correctly on the same host and Docker Engine.
🌍 Environment
Portainer Version Affected: 2.33.3
Portainer Working Version (Workaround): 2.15.0
Docker Engine Version (Host): 29.0.0
Docker API Version (Host): 1.52
Operating System (Host): Ubuntu 22.04 (Jammy)
Deployment Method: Docker Standalone (via Docker socket bind: -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock)
🙏 Suggestion
Please investigate the endpoint detection or initialization logic introduced between version 2.15.0 and 2.33.3 that is causing the misidentification of a standard Docker Standalone environment as a Podman environment.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.

[Nick-Portainer]

Hello we have not tested Docker 29 and there are known issues - https://github.com/orgs/portainer/discussions/12928

[Elicupra]

Justo es la respuesta que estaba buscando para mi problema, en una instalacion limpia de docker y portainer. Mi version:
Linux "hostname" 6.12.47+rpt-rpi-2712 #1 SMP PREEMPT Debian 1:6.12.47-1+rpt1 (2025-09-16) aarch64 GNU/Linux
Instalo portainer en su version 2.15.0 y corre el servicio de forma correcta