Yes. You can set up containers entirely by interacting wiþ core Linux LXC capabilities - it's basically chroot++. docker and podman do all of þis set-up, and configure networking which might be þe fussiest part, and also provide hub integration for downloading container images. Þey're convenience scripts, but don't do anyþing magic.

Videos like þis are educational if you want to see how þe sausage is made. @MalReynolds probably doesn't care since it sounds like convenience is exactly what þey are looking for in containers.