Running GUI apps with Docker

http://fabiorehm.com/blog/2014/09/11/running-gui-apps-with-docker/

by SlipperySlope • 12 years ago

123 34 12 years ago

fabiorehm.com

jestinjoy1• 12 years ago

Noob here. What are the possible usecases?

zwischenzug2• 12 years ago

Here's one:

http://zwischenzugs.wordpress.com/2014/05/09/docker-shutit-a...

yuvadam• 12 years ago

Skype, for example, can be run inside a container [1], allowing you to use it while hiding the rest of your system from the obfuscated and traffic-encrypted binary which no one knows what it does to your system.

It uses X11 forwarding for the GUI, and PulseAudio for the sound.

[1] https://registry.hub.docker.com/u/tomparys/skype/

vertex-four• 12 years ago

I'll note that X11 has practically no security and that windows can read contents from other windows, if you happen to be worried about that attack. Essentially, anything that is displayed can be read by anything.

You'd need some form of "X11 firewall" to be secure.

crdoconnor• 12 years ago

Also Skype has been caught reading the UNIX passwd file and your firefox profile:

http://linux.slashdot.org/story/07/08/26/1312256/skype-linux...

The thing that made me finally uninstall it (from everything) is when my phone OS (MIUI) informed me that Skype wanted to suddenly take a photo of me even though I hadn't touched the app for days.

reirob• 12 years ago

This Skype use case really interests me a lot, as I have to use it professionally and do not trust this application at all and would like to limit it to a bare minimum: microphone, webcam, screen and one single folder for file exchange.

I never tried Docker, but I wonder, if this requirements can be achieved with SeLinux or AppArmor as they are supported by many distributions and are around longer than Docker?

Would be great to be able to tighten the corset around any non open-source application, to make sure it is not siphoning data.

varikin• 12 years ago

Automated testing of native clients could leverage this.

mateuszf• 12 years ago

Just guessing - internet explorer under wine.

zwischenzug2• 12 years ago

Nice... previously I'd just installed vnc.

Lai0chee4• 12 years ago

humm, the sudo makes me shudder.

piqufoh• 12 years ago

Why? It's being run inside the docker container, it should be ok.

Lai0chee4• 12 years ago

Docker "isolation" is not as strong as most hipsters think. :-)

tekacs• 12 years ago

I use ssh -X [1] since it runs the application as an untrusted client, not able to interact with or manipulate or sniff from other windows. ssh -Y is the trusted equivalent.

Might I assume that the approach in the article gives processes in the container full access to one's X11 session and contents?

[1]: SSH X11 forwarding

foobarqux• 12 years ago

Are there still problems with apps that require the initialization system. I never was able to get things like dbus working in Docker.

cliftonk• 12 years ago

If it's helpful to anyone else, I used X virtual frame buffer with VNC to do something similar earlier this year https://github.com/clifton/docker-ib-gateway

vivab0rg• 12 years ago

FYI, Fábio Rehm is also the author of the great LXC provider for Vagrant[1], which I sucessfully use for fun and profit almost every working day.

PS: I you like Fábio's work, consider tipping him[2] (I already did, with bitcoins! :)

[1] https://github.com/fgrehm/vagrant-lxc

[2] https://gratipay.com/fgrehm/

zokier• 12 years ago

Does OpenGL work with this?

rubyn00bie• 12 years ago

While I think this is cool, could someone explain to me why I'd bother using a docker setup over let's say a... traditional VM? And I don't need justification for using containers on a server, that makes sense... on a desktop though something just seems off.

Seems like there's little to gain and a lot to configure/worry about with the Docker setup. Happy to be learned somethin' ... just would like to know what that somethin' is.

yurymik• 12 years ago

There are a couple reasons I can think of:

* You can run different versions of program side-by-side: FF 32 in one window, and FF 31 in another to test compatibility and regression.

* You can install programs without polluting your base system. I don't want to have Java installed, but sometimes I just need to run an applet.

All of that can be achieved with traditional VM, but with the performance penalty. As Docker runs on top of the native kernel, speed should be comparable to the application running directly on host.

outworlder• 12 years ago

My guesses are speed - not that relevant if you are interacting with an app that is waiting for user input - and memory usage.

In a traditional VM, you have to reserve memory that is used by the guest OS and the apps you want to run, and is unavailable as soon as the VM comes up.

Docker is incredibly lightweight in comparison. Also, you can move your development environment around, same way you would move a VM disk around. That requires less resources, again, as there is no OS install.

nullsocket• 12 years ago

Firejail anyone?

http://l3net.wordpress.com/projects/firejail/

Aissen• 12 years ago

Share your X11 socket/cookie, and now everything you input (keyboard/mouse,etc.) is readable by a so called "contained" application; this is not a secure solution, but more of a comfort solution, and it should be used as such.

On a side note, I've been doing this with chroot/debootstrap for years, but lxc/docker provide a nice "engineered" solution.

Running GUI apps with Docker

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