How to build an Image using Docker API?

Question

I am trying to build a docker Image using the APIs mentioned in the official link.

But I am unable to get what the document says: Example request:

POST /v1.24/build HTTP/1.1


{{ TAR STREAM }}

There are few things which are confusing me,

1) Where to mention the path for the Dockerfile?

2) "The archive must include a build instructions file, typically called Dockerfile at the archive’s root." This statement from docker docs, the confusion here is what is archive's root?

3) What is the command in detail for building an Image?

Answer 1

Finally, able to build an image through Docker API.

Sample Dockerfile:

# cat Dockerfile

FROM ubuntu:14.04
RUN mkdir demo
RUN apt-get update
RUN apt-get -y install vim

Create a tar file which includes your Dockerfile.

# tar -cvf Dockerfile.tar.gz Dockerfile 

Execute the API as below and for more options, refer this.

# curl -v -X POST -H "Content-Type:application/tar" --data-binary '@Dockerfile.tar.gz' http://127.0.0.1:5000/build?t=build_test

* Hostname was NOT found in DNS cache
*   Trying 127.0.0.1...
* Connected to 127.0.0.1 (127.0.0.1) port 5000 (#0)
> POST /build?t=build_test HTTP/1.1
> User-Agent: curl/7.35.0
> Host: 127.0.0.1:5000
> Accept: */*
> Content-Type:application/tar
> Content-Length: 10240
> Expect: 100-continue
> 
< HTTP/1.1 100 Continue
< HTTP/1.1 200 OK
< Api-Version: 1.28
< Content-Type: application/json
< Docker-Experimental: false
< Ostype: linux
* Server Docker/17.04.0-ce (linux) is not blacklisted
< Server: Docker/17.04.0-ce (linux)
< Date: Mon, 01 May 2017 09:56:54 GMT
< Transfer-Encoding: chunked
< 
{"stream":"Step 1/4 : FROM ubuntu:14.04\n"}
{"stream":" ---\u003e 302fa07d8117\n"}
{"stream":"Step 2/4 : RUN mkdir demo\n"}
{"stream":" ---\u003e Running in 5941f911099e\n"}
{"stream":" ---\u003e bccbffdd776a\n"}
{"stream":"Removing intermediate container 5941f911099e\n"}
{"stream":"Step 3/4 : RUN apt-get update\n"}
{"stream":" ---\u003e Running in 7aefd190a165\n"}
{"stream":"Ign http://archive.ubuntu.com trusty InRelease\n"}
{"stream":"Get:1 http://archive.ubuntu.com trusty-updates InRelease [65.9 kB]\n"}
{"stream":"Get:2 http://archive.ubuntu.com trusty-security InRelease [65.9 kB]\n"}
{"stream":"Get:3 http://archive.ubuntu.com trusty Release.gpg [933 B]\n"}
{"stream":"Get:4 http://archive.ubuntu.com trusty Release [58.5 kB]\n"}
{"stream":"Get:5 http://archive.ubuntu.com trusty-updates/main Sources [491 kB]\n"}
{"stream":"Get:6 http://archive.ubuntu.com trusty-updates/restricted Sources [6467 B]\n"}
{"stream":"Get:7 http://archive.ubuntu.com trusty-updates/universe Sources [226 kB]\n"}

.......    

{"stream":"Fetched 22.5 MB in 1min 40s (224 kB/s)\nReading package lists..."}
{"stream":"\n"}
{"stream":" ---\u003e ff06741dea7e\n"}
{"stream":"Removing intermediate container 7aefd190a165\n"}
{"stream":"Step 4/4 : RUN apt-get -y install vim\n"}
{"stream":" ---\u003e Running in e9ddad5a4695\n"}
{"stream":"Reading package lists..."}
{"stream":"\n"}
{"stream":"Building dependency tree..."}
{"stream":"\nReading state information...\n"}
{"stream":"The following extra packages will be installed:\n  libgpm2 libpython2.7 libpython2.7-minimal libpython2.7-stdlib vim-runtime\n"}
{"stream":"Suggested packages:\n  gpm ctags vim-doc vim-scripts\n"}
{"stream":"The following NEW packages will be installed:\n  libgpm2 libpython2.7 libpython2.7-minimal libpython2.7-stdlib vim\n  vim-runtime\n"}
{"stream":"0 upgraded, 6 newly installed, 0 to remove and 3 not upgraded.\nNeed to get 9074 kB of archives.\nAfter this operation, 42.9 MB of additional disk space will be used.\nGet:1 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ trusty/main libgpm2 amd64 1.20.4-6.1 [16.5 kB]\n"}
 .......
{"stream":"Processing triggers for libc-bin (2.19-0ubuntu6.11) ...\n"}
{"stream":" ---\u003e b1736dd9b698\n"}
{"stream":"Removing intermediate container e9ddad5a4695\n"}
{"stream":"Successfully built b1736dd9b698\n"}
* Connection #0 to host 127.0.0.1 left intact

Check the docker images after the image is successfully built.

# docker images
REPOSITORY                       TAG                 IMAGE ID            CREATED             SIZE
build_test                       latest              b1736dd9b698        8 seconds ago       254MB

Removed some of the output which is not necessary.

To configure docker daemon port , refer this