diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 52b508329..2dc105923 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -18,16 +18,16 @@ variables:
 
 default:
   image:
-    name: registry.uniworx.de/uniworx/containers/debian:12.5
+    name: registry.uniworx.de/fradrive/fradrive/debian-podman:latest
     # name: registry.uniworx.de/fradrive/fradrive/docker:dind
   #   name: registry.uniworx.de/fradrive/fradrive/fradrive-env:latest # Debian 12.5 Bookworm
   #   entrypoint: [""]
   #   docker:
   #     platform: x86_64
-  #     user: ${ENV_USER}
-  before_script:
-    - apt-get -y update
-    - apt-get -y install make
+  # #     user: ${ENV_USER}
+  # before_script:
+  #   - apt-get -y update
+  #   - apt-get -y install make podman
   #   - chown -R ${ENV_USER} . # Change project directory ownership to (non-root) user inside docker container
   artifacts:
     name: "${CI_JOB_NAME}-${CI_COMMIT_SHORT_SHA}"
@@ -48,8 +48,8 @@ frontend image:
   stage: build images
   script:
   # TODO: define make target for this?
-    - make -- --docker-build-frontend-build FRADRIVE_SERVICE=frontend
-    - docker image save frontend | gzip > docker/frontend/image.tar.gz
+    - make -- --docker-build-frontend-build FRADRIVE_SERVICE=frontend CONTAINER_RUNNER=podman
+    - podman image save frontend | gzip > docker/frontend/image.tar.gz
   artifacts:
     paths:
       - docker/frontend/image.tar.gz
@@ -60,8 +60,8 @@ frontend build:
     - job: frontend image
       artifacts: true
   script:
-    - &load-frontend-image zcat docker/frontend/image.tar.gz | docker image load
-    - make -- --docker-run-frontend-build FRADRIVE_SERVICE=frontend
+    - &load-frontend-image zcat docker/frontend/image.tar.gz | podman image load
+    - make -- --docker-run-frontend-build FRADRIVE_SERVICE=frontend CONTAINER_RUNNER=podman
   artifacts:
     paths:
       - /fradrive/node_modules
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ frontend lint:
       artifacts: true
   script:
     - *load-frontend-image
-    - make -- --docker-run-frontend-lint FRADRIVE_SERVICE=frontend
+    - make -- --docker-run-frontend-lint FRADRIVE_SERVICE=frontend CONTAINER_RUNNER=podman
   cache: *frontend-cache
 
 frontend test:
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ frontend test:
       artifacts: true
   script:
     - *load-frontend-image
-    - make -- --docker-run-frontend-test FRADRIVE_SERVICE=frontend
+    - make -- --docker-run-frontend-test FRADRIVE_SERVICE=frontend CONTAINER_RUNNER=podman
 
   cache: *frontend-cache
 
@@ -108,14 +108,14 @@ push frontend image:
   script:
     - *load-frontend-image
     # - docker image tag 
-    - docker push frontend
+    - podman push frontend
 
 backend image:
   stage: build images
   script:
   # TODO: define make target for this?
-    - make -- --docker-build-backend-build FRADRIVE_SERVICE=backend
-    - docker image save backend | gzip > docker/backend/image.tar.gz
+    - make -- --docker-build-backend-build FRADRIVE_SERVICE=backend CONTAINER_RUNNER=podman
+    - podman image save backend | gzip > docker/backend/image.tar.gz
   artifacts:
     paths:
       - docker/backend/image.tar.gz
@@ -128,8 +128,8 @@ backend build:
     - job: frontend build
       artifacts: true
   script:
-    - &load-backend-image zcat docker/backend/image.tar.gz | docker image load
-    - make -- --docker-run-backend-build FRADRIVE_SERVICE=backend
+    - &load-backend-image zcat docker/backend/image.tar.gz | podman image load
+    - make -- --docker-run-backend-build FRADRIVE_SERVICE=backend CONTAINER_RUNNER=podman
   artifacts:
     paths:
       - /fradrive/.stack/
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ backend lint:
       artifacts: true
   script:
     - *load-backend-image
-    - make -- --docker-run-backend-lint FRADRIVE_SERVICE=backend
+    - make -- --docker-run-backend-lint FRADRIVE_SERVICE=backend CONTAINER_RUNNER=podman
   cache: *backend-cache
 
 backend test:
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ backend test:
       artifacts: true
   script:
     - *load-backend-image
-    - make -- --docker-run-backend-test FRADRIVE_SERVICE=backend
+    - make -- --docker-run-backend-test FRADRIVE_SERVICE=backend CONTAINER_RUNNER=podman
   cache: *backend-cache
 
 push backend image:
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ push backend image:
       artifacts: false
   script:
     - *load-backend-image
-    - docker push backend
+    - podman push backend
 
 # frontend dependencies:
 #   stage: setup
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index af5887be1..119f23c71 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 
 db ?= -cf
 
+CONTAINER_RUNNER ?= docker
+
 .PHONY: help
 help:
 	@echo "Nothing to see here, go away"
@@ -167,6 +169,6 @@ well-known/.well-known:
 # 	run-s frontend:build --parallel "frontend:build:watch" "yesod:start"
 
 --docker-build-%:
-	docker compose build $(FRADRIVE_SERVICE)
+	$(CONTAINER_RUNNER) compose build $(FRADRIVE_SERVICE)
 --docker-run-%:
-	docker compose run -u `id -u`:`id -g` --env FRADRIVE_MAKE_TARGET=$* $(FRADRIVE_SERVICE)
\ No newline at end of file
+	$(CONTAINER_RUNNER) compose run -u `id -u`:`id -g` --env FRADRIVE_MAKE_TARGET=$* $(FRADRIVE_SERVICE)
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docker/podman/Dockerfile b/docker/podman/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..368404500
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/podman/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+# Debian-based podman daemon image for building docker images 
+# inside docker containers (e.g. gitlab runners).
+# 
+# Yoinked with love from:
+# https://www.redhat.com/sysadmin/podman-inside-container
+
+FROM registry.uniworx.de/uniworx/containers/debian:12.5
+
+RUN apt-get -y update
+
+RUN apt-get -y install make podman fuse-overlayfs
+
+RUN useradd podman; \
+echo podman:10000:5000 > /etc/subuid; \
+echo podman:10000:5000 > /etc/subgid;
+
+VOLUME /var/lib/containers
+VOLUME /home/podman/.local/share/containers
+
+ADD https://raw.githubusercontent.com/containers/image_build/main/podman/containers.conf /etc/containers/containers.conf
+ADD https://raw.githubusercontent.com/containers/image_build/main/podman/podman-containers.conf /home/podman/.config/containers/containers.conf
+
+RUN chown podman:podman -R /home/podman
+
+# chmod containers.conf and adjust storage.conf to enable Fuse storage.
+RUN chmod 644 /etc/containers/containers.conf; sed -i -e 's|^#mount_program|mount_program|g' -e '/additionalimage.*/a "/var/lib/shared",' -e 's|^mountopt[[:space:]]*=.*$|mountopt = "nodev,fsync=0"|g' /etc/containers/libpod.conf
+RUN mkdir -p /var/lib/shared/overlay-images /var/lib/shared/overlay-layers /var/lib/shared/vfs-images /var/lib/shared/vfs-layers; touch /var/lib/shared/overlay-images/images.lock; touch /var/lib/shared/overlay-layers/layers.lock; touch /var/lib/shared/vfs-images/images.lock; touch /var/lib/shared/vfs-layers/layers.lock
+
+ENV _CONTAINERS_USERNS_CONFIGURED=""
\ No newline at end of file