Docker Gui Apps How To Do It

Docker Gui Apps How To Do It

This blog shows you how it works, what doesnt work, and how to do it.

At first I only containerized text-based apps, like Weechat, Mutt, fleetctl and Terraform, but more recently I decided to have a go at containerizing some GUI apps.

You need to use docker-machine which creates a (small) VM for you that actually runs your containers.

Unless you RTFM and create that VM with a reasonable amount of memory, youre going to have a bad time when running Chrome and Eclipse in a container.

Well be using Homebrew to install pretty much everything we need.

If you dont, you will get some errors in the following steps because Virtualbox isnt behaving properly.

First, create our Docker VM and configure it to have a bit more memory (default is 1GB).

Then it checks if my Docker VM is running, and starts it if necessary.

Then it allows the Docker VM to connect to the XQuartz server, and runs the fgrehmeclipse:4.4.1 container with a 512MB memory restriction and the correct DISPLAY setting so it uses our XQuartz server to display the window.

To persist settings and code, volume mappings are added to HOMEDocumentseclipse.

So even though you can watch some Youtube in your containerized Chrome, it will be dead silent.

Great Except that you dont have 3D, you dont have sound, and you need to create a bunch of shell functions.

And it gives you a nice opportunity to play around with Docker and discover some of the stranger aspects of putting stuff in a container.

And maybe, after a while, it will make you decide to switch from OSX to Linux and go with some super lightweight Linux distro (nerd creds are upon you) and you end up being that guy or girl who can set up their Linux system in 10 minutes with a minimal graphical install, clone your dotfiles Git repository and instantly have access to all the GUI apps you need.

The non-computer-part of his life involves cycling, guitar playing, good coffee, and the occasional craft beer.

Docker For Mac Gui Apps