Can you run GUI applications in a Docker container

Question

How can you run GUI applications in a Docker container?

Are there any images that set up vncserver or something so that you can - for example - add an extra speedbump sandbox around say Firefox?

Answer 1

Docker with BRIDGE network. for Ubuntu 16.04 with display manager lightdm:

cd /etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf.d
sudo nano user.conf

[Seat:*]
xserver-allow-tcp=true
xserver-command=X -listen tcp

you can use more private permissions

xhost +

docker run --volume="$HOME/.Xauthority:/root/.Xauthority:rw" --env="DISPLAY=$HOST_IP_IN_BRIDGE_NETWORK:0" --net=bridge $container_name

Answer 2

OSX

Jürgen Weigert has the best answer that worked for me on Ubuntu, however on OSX, docker runs inside of VirtualBox and so the solution doesn't work without some more work.

I've got it working with these additional ingredients:

1. Xquartz (OSX no longer ships with X11 server)
2. socket forwarding with socat (brew install socat)
3. bash script to launch the container

I'd appreciate user comments to improve this answer for OSX, I'm not sure if socket forwarding for X is secure, but my intended use is for running the docker container locally only.

Also, the script is a bit fragile in that it's not easy to get the IP address of the machine since it's on our local wireless so it's always some random IP.

The BASH script I use to launch the container:

#!/usr/bin/env bash

CONTAINER=py3:2016-03-23-rc3
COMMAND=/bin/bash
NIC=en0

# Grab the ip address of this box
IPADDR=$(ifconfig $NIC | grep "inet " | awk '{print $2}')

DISP_NUM=$(jot -r 1 100 200)  # random display number between 100 and 200

PORT_NUM=$((6000 + DISP_NUM)) # so multiple instances of the container won't interfer with eachother

socat TCP-LISTEN:${PORT_NUM},reuseaddr,fork UNIX-CLIENT:\"$DISPLAY\" 2>&1 > /dev/null &

XSOCK=/tmp/.X11-unix
XAUTH=/tmp/.docker.xauth.$USER.$$
touch $XAUTH
xauth nlist $DISPLAY | sed -e 's/^..../ffff/' | xauth -f $XAUTH nmerge -

docker run \
    -it \
    --rm \
    --user=$USER \
    --workdir="/Users/$USER" \
    -v "/Users/$USER:/home/$USER:rw" \
    -v $XSOCK:$XSOCK:rw \
    -v $XAUTH:$XAUTH:rw \
    -e DISPLAY=$IPADDR:$DISP_NUM \
    -e XAUTHORITY=$XAUTH \
    $CONTAINER \
    $COMMAND

rm -f $XAUTH
kill %1       # kill the socat job launched above

I'm able to get xeyes and matplotlib working with this approach.

Windows 7+

It's a bit easier on Windows 7+ with MobaXterm:

1. Install MobaXterm for windows
2. Start MobaXterm
3. Configure X server: Settings -> X11 (tab) -> set X11 Remote Access to full
4. Use this BASH script to launch the container

run_docker.bash:

#!/usr/bin/env bash

CONTAINER=py3:2016-03-23-rc3
COMMAND=/bin/bash
DISPLAY="$(hostname):0"
USER=$(whoami)

docker run \
    -it \
    --rm \
    --user=$USER \
    --workdir="/home/$USER" \
    -v "/c/Users/$USER:/home/$USER:rw" \
    -e DISPLAY \
    $CONTAINER \
    $COMMAND

Answer 3

There is another solution by lord.garbage to run GUI apps in a container without using VNC, SSH and X11 forwarding. It is mentioned here too.

Answer 4

If you want to run a GUI application headless, then read here. What you have to do is to create a virtual monitor with xvfb or other similar software. This is very helpful if you want to run Selenium tests for example with browsers.

Something not mentioned anywhere is that some software actually themselves use sand-boxing with Linux containers. So for example Chrome will never run normally if you don't use the appropriate flag --privileged when running the container.

Answer 5

You can simply install a vncserver along with Firefox :)

I pushed an image, vnc/firefox, here: docker pull creack/firefox-vnc

The image has been made with this Dockerfile:

# Firefox over VNC
#
# VERSION               0.1
# DOCKER-VERSION        0.2

FROM    ubuntu:12.04
# Make sure the package repository is up to date
RUN     echo "deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu precise main universe" > /etc/apt/sources.list
RUN     apt-get update

# Install vnc, xvfb in order to create a 'fake' display and firefox
RUN     apt-get install -y x11vnc xvfb firefox
RUN     mkdir ~/.vnc
# Setup a password
RUN     x11vnc -storepasswd 1234 ~/.vnc/passwd
# Autostart firefox (might not be the best way to do it, but it does the trick)
RUN     bash -c 'echo "firefox" >> /.bashrc'

This will create a Docker container running VNC with the password 1234:

For Docker version 1.3 or newer:

docker run -p 5900 -e HOME=/ creack/firefox-vnc x11vnc -forever -usepw -create

For Docker before version 1.3:

docker run -p 5900 creack/firefox-vnc x11vnc -forever -usepw -create

Answer 6

The other solutions should work, but here is a solution for docker-compose.

To fix that error, you need to pass $DISPLAY and .X11-unix to docker, as well as grant the user who started docker access to xhost.

Within docker-compose.yml: version: '2' services: node: build: . container_name: node environment: - DISPLAY volumes: - /tmp/.X11-unix:/tmp/.X11-unix

In terminal or script:

• xhost +si:localuser:$USER
• xhost +local:docker
• export DISPLAY=$DISPLAY
• docker-compose up