okey been learning and getting to know toolbox on F39 silverblue it is simple setup, but how i can example to get my Jetbrains Fleet to detect Node.js installations on toolbox? do i need to somehow install it inside toolbox since it is already appimage based IDE it detects Node.js if i layer automatically, but how i get it to detect everyhting inside toolbox? other option is to create docker image and connect my Jetbrains Fleet on there or just layer all node to base
So you need to install the IDE inside the toolbox, use the docker/podman integration of fleet, or install node.js in another way. These are your options.
If you are using an appimage maybe starting it from within the toolbox works? Not so sure as I never used appimages. But you have to install the IDE inside the toolbox, else you won’t be able to use the installed node.js version directly. Installing it another way into the toolbox would also work.
Another option would be using the docker/podman integration of fleet. Now I don’t use fleet so can’t say much about this, but I know this works really well with flatpaked vscode. Intellij has experimental support for devcontainers, so I expect fleet to also have this. It won’t use your existing toolbox though, it will create a new container. It is possible in intellij to run commands in the toolbox using the docker/podman integration, but I have never got it working for intellisense. So devcontainers are probably your only option for full integration.
A third option would be installing node.js in another way. Maybe on the host if you are using normal fedora, but probably not the optimal option for atomic desktop. What I am using is mise. I use it to get SDKs into the intellij flatpak, but it would work just as well on the host. It allows you to install SDKs (node.js, go, python) next to eachother, without using the system package manager. Using mise would allow you to install node.js without layering, and has the advantage of making it possible to install multiple versions simultaneously.
Hope this gets you on track, feel free to ask more questions. I am very interested in getting IDEs to work well on atomic desktop, so would like to know which route ends up working for you. If someone knows an alternative workflow please let me know.
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thanks lots of testing and good suggestions and info. i was testing for free jetbrains Space that might resolve the issue on small case since there i can create dev enviroment that has all those already, but on longer terms and bigger projects there is limits since you have only 2000 credits on months and those goes fast it was like credit per minute so you have only 2000 minutes and out of luck. there is option for docker, but that needs layering again so i try to figure out the integration using toolbox for now asked more help on jetbrains too since they have similar already working on WSL so why not toolbox/distrobox since those are basically Linux versions on WSL
So this might be a bit confusing but the docker integration is compatible with podman 
Podman tries to (mostly) mimic docker, so most things should just work.
I don’t have fleet because there is not flatpak, but I had to do the following things for intellij.
Start the podman socket
# Will listen to a socket like docker
systemctl --user start podman.socket
# Automatically start after reboot
systemctl --user enable podman.socket
Change the socket location in intellij settings
The API Url in the screenshot is: unix:/run/user/1000/podman/podman.sock
This might differ depending on the UID of your user.
This is good to play around and see how it goes
Fleet is going to flatpaks after June when preview ends just been testing it and I like it way too much so after it gets Flatpaks I will switch it from app image
But yes I will start messing around to see podman and docker stuff
Good luck! Fleet sounds great, have tried it a while back but it wasn’t ready yet for me. What would be the advantages over intellij for example?
Here’s a breakdown of IntelliJ IDEA vs. JetBrains Fleet:
IntelliJ IDEA
- Mature IDE: Proven, full-featured development environment for various languages.
- Extensive features: Advanced debugging, testing, refactoring, database tools, and deep integrations with frameworks.
- Plugins: Huge ecosystem of plugins for additional languages and features.
- Demanding: Can be resource-intensive.
JetBrains Fleet
- Lightweight & fast: Designed for speed and a streamlined experience.
- Smart features: Built on IntelliJ’s code engine for intelligent code assistance.
- Collaborative: Built-in support for distributed development.
- New & evolving: Still under development, features expanding rapidly.
A faster intellij sounds great 
Sounds like I should give it a try again when the flatpak comes out.
Yeah preview ends June so I think after that they release Flatpaks atleast I hope and not forcing to use jetbrains toolbox
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when i install node version manager to toolbox and install again node.js and npm it actually creates node_models files and .npm folder to my home so now i need to just somehow to point fleet to use those
Yes toolbox does not isolate your home directory, so node will cause some clutter. It seems like you are thinking these directories contain the node installation, but that is not the case. These directories are mostly for caching some things.
To detect where node/npm is stored in the toolbox:
⬢[job@toolbox ~]$ which node
/usr/bin/node
⬢[job@toolbox ~]$ which npm
/usr/bin/npm
i guess easiest way might be just go layering docker that is little shame tbh i even tried to use toolbox and docker there but then run permission issues again so that was fail attempt well it is good that it is just container and easy to destroy
I don’t follow why you would need docker? Does podman have problems that using docker would fix?
Most simple solution would probably be installing node on the host using mise, or installing fleet inside the toolbox
Fast forward to 2025… Despite podman’s efforts to mimic Docker, Jetbrains manages to hard code dependencies on docker in random places.
I use Pycharm Pro and getting it to work with Podman is not as easy as it should be.
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Hi there !! For me the unique solution was execute Intellij into the toolbox session activated.