104 lines
3.6 KiB
Markdown
104 lines
3.6 KiB
Markdown
---
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page_title: "Basic Usage - Docker Provider"
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sidebar_current: "docker-basics"
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---
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# Docker Basic Usage
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The Docker provider in Vagrant behaves just like any other provider.
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If you're familiar with Vagrant already, then using the Docker provider
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should be intuitive and simple.
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The Docker provider _does not_ require a `config.vm.box` setting. Since
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the "base image" for a Docker container is pulled from the
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[Docker Index](/v2/docker/images.html) or
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built from a [Dockerfile](/v2/docker/dockerfiles.html), the box doesn't
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add much value, and is optional for this provider.
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## Docker Images
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The first method that Vagrant can use to source a Docker container
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is via an image. This image can be from any Docker registry. An
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example is shown below:
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<pre class="prettyprint">
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Vagrant.configure("2") do |config|
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config.vm.provider "docker" do |d|
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d.image = "foo/bar"
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end
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end
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</pre>
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When `vagrant up --provider=docker` is run, this will bring up the
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image `foo/bar`.
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This is useful for extra components of your application that it might
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depend on: databases, queues, etc. Typically, the primary application
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you're working on is built with a Dockerfile, or via a container with
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SSH.
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## Dockerfiles
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Vagrant can also automatically build and run images based on a local
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Dockerfile. This is useful for iterating on an application locally
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that is built into an image later. An example is shown below:
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<pre class="prettyprint">
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Vagrant.configure("2") do |config|
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config.vm.provider "docker" do |d|
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d.build_dir = "."
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end
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end
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</pre>
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The above configuration will look for a `Dockerfile` in the same
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directory as the Vagrantfile. When `vagrant up --provider=docker` is run, Vagrant
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automatically builds that Dockerfile and starts a container
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based on that Dockerfile.
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The Dockerfile is rebuilt when `vagrant reload` is called.
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## Host VM
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On systems that can't run Linux containers natively, such as Mac OS X
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or Windows, Vagrant automatically spins up a "host VM" to run Docker.
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This allows your Docker-based Vagrant environments to remain portable,
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without inconsistencies depending on the platform they are running on.
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Vagrant will spin up a single instance of a host VM and run multiple
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containers on this one VM. This means that with the Docker provider,
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you only have the overhead of one virtual machine, and only if it is
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absolutely necessary.
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By default, the host VM Vagrant spins up is
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[backed by boot2docker](https://github.com/mitchellh/vagrant/blob/master/plugins/providers/docker/hostmachine/Vagrantfile),
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because it launches quickly and uses little resources. But the host VM
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can be customized to point to _any_ Vagrantfile. This allows the host VM
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to more closely match production by running a VM running Ubuntu, RHEL,
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etc. It can run any operating system supported by Vagrant.
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<div class="alert alert-info">
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<strong>Synced folder note:</strong> Vagrant will attempt to use the
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"best" synced folder implementation it can. For boot2docker, this is
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often rsync. In this case, make sure you have rsync installed on your
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host machine. Vagrant will give you a human-friendly error message if
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it isn't.
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</div>
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An example of changing the host VM is shown below. Remember that this
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is optional, and Vagrant will spin up a default host VM if it isn't
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specified:
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<pre class="prettyprint">
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Vagrant.configure("2") do |config|
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config.vm.provider "docker" do |d|
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d.vagrant_vagrantfile = "../path/to/Vagrantfile"
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end
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end
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</pre>
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The host VM will be spun up at the first `vagrant up` where the provider
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is Docker. To control this host VM, use the
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[global-status command](/v2/cli/global-status.html)
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along with global control.
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