Error when starting image without /etc/hosts with base_hosts_file = "image"

[pboguslawski]

Issue Description

Docker (checked in old Debian 10) allows one to start image without /etc/hosts file without errors (i.e. when image contains only static binary).

Podman (checked 4.3.1+ds1-8+deb12u1 in Debian 12) with base_hosts_file = "image" throws error

Error: creating hosts file for container [...]: failed to create new hosts file: open /var/lib/containers/[...]/merged/etc/hosts: no such file or directory

with same image.

Steps to reproduce the issue

Steps to reproduce the issue

1. Set base_hosts_file = "image" in containers.conf.
2. Start container from image that does not contain /etc/hosts file.

Describe the results you received

Error is thrown and container is not started.

Describe the results you expected

Podman with base_hosts_file = "image" allows to run images with no /etc/hosts file with empty base /etc/hosts content. No error is thrown (similar to docker).

podman info output

Debian 12, amd64

# dpkg -s podman | grep Version
Version: 4.3.1+ds1-8+deb12u1

Podman in a container

No

Privileged Or Rootless

Rootless

Upstream Latest Release

No

Additional environment details

Additional environment details

Additional information

Additional information like issue happens only occasionally or issue happens with a particular architecture or on a particular setting

[Luap99]

Can you test with the latest podman version, 4.3 is quite old now. Or can you provide a basic image where this is the case.
I have tried to reproduce this with podman run --hosts-file image ... with a locally image that does not have the hosts file in it and it still worked fine.