Docker container to run GUI applications like Eclipse IDE

Upstream Links

• Docker Registry @monstrenyatko/gui-app-run
• GitHub @monstrenyatko/docker-gui-app-run

Requirements

• X11 server (e.g., X.Org, XQuartz 2.7.11+, Xming)
• X11 server is configured to accept network connections
• Docker 18.06.1+
• docker command is working without sudo

Quick Start example to run Eclipse IDE

• Prepare environment/directories to persist state/plugins between container executions:

export WORK_ECLIPSE_HOME=$HOME/Eclipse
export WORK_ECLIPSE_BIN=$WORK_ECLIPSE_HOME/bin
export WORK_ECLIPSE_SETTINGS=$WORK_ECLIPSE_HOME/setting
export WORK_ECLIPSE_WORKSPACE=$WORK_ECLIPSE_HOME/workspace
mkdir -p $WORK_ECLIPSE_BIN $WORK_ECLIPSE_SETTINGS $WORK_ECLIPSE_WORKSPACE

• Download Linux Eclipse package
• Extract Eclipse package content to $WORK_ECLIPSE_BIN directory. Path to executable file like $WORK_ECLIPSE_BIN/eclipse must be valid
• Create execution script for convenience:

#!/bin/bash

# Desired UID of the user inside container, keep it empty for default to `1000`
user_id=
# IP address of the host machine with running X11 server, see `host.docker.internal`
ip=<IP address>
# Allow connections to X11 server from host
# you might need to add IP of the docker machine, see `$(docker-machine ip $machine_name)`
xhost + localhost
# Remove old container if for some reason it was not removed automatically
docker rm eclipse
# Run
docker run --rm --name eclipse --net=host                                      \
    -e LOCAL_USER_ID=$user_id                                                  \
    -e DISPLAY=$ip:0                                                           \
                                                                               \
    -v $WORK_ECLIPSE_BIN:/opt/eclipse                                          \
    -v $WORK_ECLIPSE_WORKSPACE:/cfg/eclipse/workspace                          \
    -v $WORK_ECLIPSE_SETTINGS:/cfg/eclipse/.eclipse                            \
    -e ECLIPSE_HOME=/opt/eclipse                                               \
    -e SWT_GTK3=1                                                              \
                                                                               \
    monstrenyatko/gui-app-run                                                  \
                                                                               \
    bash -c "                                                                  \
            ln -s /cfg/eclipse/workspace \$HOME/workspace                      \
        &&  ln -s /cfg/eclipse/.eclipse \$HOME/.eclipse                        \
                                                                               \
        &&  \$ECLIPSE_HOME/eclipse                                             \
    "

Tricks

• Share host Maven repository if required:

  • Add to Docker run options:

    -v $HOME/.m2/repository:/m2_repo                                           \
    -e M2_REPO=/m2_repo                                                        \

  • Add to the Docker command before Eclipse binary invocation:

        &&  mkdir \$HOME/.m2 && ln -s \$M2_REPO \$HOME/.m2/repository          \

• Make UID of the Docker user equal with host user:

  • Change user_id variable value to:

    user_id=`id -u $USER`

• Get IP address automatically:

  • Set ip variable value to:

    ip=host.docker.internal

  • From en0 interface. Set ip variable value to:

    ip=$(ifconfig en0 | grep inet | awk '$1=="inet" {print $2}')

• Switch to GTK2:

  • Change SWT_GTK3 value to 0

• Allow connections from your local machine to the X server:

  • Add before execution of the docker command:

    xhost + $ip

• Use default GTK2 theme

  • Add to the Docker command before Eclipse binary invocation:

        && unset GTK2_RC_FILES                                                     \

Tested On

• Mac OS 10.13.6 High Sierra, XQuartz 2.7.11:
  • Eclipse 4.6 Neon