Easy-Docker

Introduction

I have been using Docker for quite some time. It is great tool, but it is not always easy to use. I started using it basically as a virtual environment to run different python versions and different libraries. However, sometimes you want to also use graphical applications and even use the graphics over SSH. I have been fighting with it for around 3 years, but I finally found a solution that suits me.

Easy-Docker

I created a relatively simple Python script that allows me to build new images, run containers and run new terminal in existing container with one command. And, most importantly, it handles user permissions, graphical applications and GPU support by itself. It is not perfect in any sense, but it really made my life and development easier. I created a “template” repository that one can easily use to create images for various project without a lot of hustle.

Nowadays, I do not even care about installing anything locally or using python venvs. I just clone my repo and start installing everything in Docker. It makes my system clear, and everything is easily portable and usable even by bachelor-level students that just starts to realize what robotic engineering means.

The repository is available at https://github.com/rustlluk/easy-docker.