Can you run GUI applications in a Linux Docker container?

Question

How can you run GUI applications in a Linux 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

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 18 or newer:

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

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