Linux Chromium to Mac Display using Docker

See associated Docker image at
https://hub.docker.com/r/fomightez/chromium/

Image for a container for Linux chromium with all dependencies that can be tunneled to Mac Desktop

Dockerfile

Dockerfile for the image adapted from here because that one worked whereas the version that is presently at the source of the other images I am pulling doesn't work. Specifically, since present version of this particular one seems to fail at this time. I only changed the comments section of the original Dockerfile.

Process to use and examples based on following Bring Linux apps to the Mac Desktop with Docker and How to run a Linux GUI application on OSX using Docker and Jessie Frazelle's Docker Containers on the Desktop.

Usage

1. Install the necessary software following: Bring Linux apps to the Mac Desktop with Docker and How to run a Linux GUI application on OSX using Docker . Essentially you'll need working Docker, socat, and XQuartz.

   Notes:

   • I am doing this on a computer running OSX 10.9.5 (Mavericks), and so I used Docker Toolbox from Docker.com. Docker.com suggests their newer software, Docker for Mac, if you can run it.
   • I found the solution to install XQuartz from How to run a Linux GUI application on OSX using Docker worked for me. I found the homebrew approach to not work for me. YMMV. This is a rather lengthy install.
   • homebrew did work for installing socat, but I had to use Jikku Jose's answer here to allow brew to make the symlinks.

2. Now you need to do three steps of preparation.

   First, start socat up with the following command in a fresh terminal window

    socat TCP-LISTEN:6000,reuseaddr,fork UNIX-CLIENT:\"$DISPLAY\"
   

   This will create a tunnel from an open X11 port (6000) through to the local UNIX socket where XQuartz will be listening for connections.

   Importantly: this will cause that terminal window to "hang" in a running, yet non-responsive state as the tunnel runs. Leave that terminal window open like that, and move to another one for all subsequent terminal use.

3. Next, start up XQuartz from the LaunchPad and toggle the settings that Kartoza suggests. Specifically,in X11 preferences in XQuartz, in the security tab, check both boxes as illustrated here. Kartoza says you can close the terminal that pops up in XQuartz at startup.

   You can leave those two situated open from now on. I wouldn't close those until you are completely through trying to stream output from out of your Linux container to your Mac desktop.

4. You need to get an IP address from your local Mac that you'll need to use for the docker run commands below, you need to replace the part in from of the :0 in 192.168.99.1:0 in the commands below with the second address listed when you issue the command

    ifconfig | grep "inet " | grep -Fv 127.0.0.1 | awk '{print $2}'
   

5. That completes the preparation and analysis on your Mac system. Now you are ready to step through actually running the Linux container and piping it out to your Mac screen.

   Now for your first test, I would suggest something simple. I found the examples from Bring Linux apps to the Mac Desktop with Docker and How to run a Linux GUI application on OSX using Docker to be overly complex for first attempts. I suggest using the gparted docker image an established Docker image first with a simple, graphical-user-interface-based program to check.

   In your terminal window enter

    docker run -e DISPLAY=192.168.99.1:0 --name gparted jess/gparted
   

   If all goes well, the focus should go to XQuartz where you will see Linux's gparted running. See Troubleshooting below if something else happened.

   Select Quit from the file menu there to shut the container down. Back in the terminal window, you'll see the normal command line prompt return.

   Another check is to use Inkscape, that command is

    docker run -it -e DISPLAY=192.168.99.1:0 --name ink jess/inkscape
   

   Remember to replace the IP address in the command with yours, keeping the :0 after it.

   Select Quit from the file menu there to shut the container down. Back in the terminal window, you'll see the normal command line prompt return.

6. Now use this Docker image to try Chromium.

    docker run -e DISPLAY=192.168.99.1:0 -v $HOME/Downloads:/root/Downloads --name chrome fomightez/chromium
   

   Remember to replace the IP address in the command with yours, keeping the :0 after it.

   Downloads will go to the local Mac Downloads directory because of the volume-binding command line flag.

   Select Quit from the file menu there to shut the container down. Back in the terminal window, you'll see the normal command line prompt return.

Troubleshooting and cleaning up

If you try to run a Docker image unsuccessfully or successfully, it may still create a visible entry you'll see when you enter docker ps -a to list docker jobs.

Therefore if you get an error that begins

docker: Error response from daemon: Conflict. The container name...

you'll need to remove it before you can create a new one. Issue the command

docker rm -f id_or_name

where id_or_name is the name or the first three or four characters of the CONTAINER ID.

Additionally, you may wish to remove images that you see when you issue the command docker images. The command is

docker rmi id_or_name

where id_or_name is the name or the first three or four characters of the IMAGE ID . Check you results with

docker ps -a
docker images

Related

First Touch Down with Docker for Mac says you can send programs running from in a raspberry pi container to Mac OS display

Docker Containers on the Desktop says you can send program running in a Linux container out to display on a native Linux computer

I imagine ultimately Windows will be possible in this ability to go between systems will include Windows-based systems, I understand Docker in Windows development is nascent and only works on a few versions for now.