Docker Setup

Overview

A guide to setting up and using VM Lab in a Docker environment.

Note

Approach recommended for the production environment.

Prerequisites

Ensure you have the following installed on your machine:

• Docker
• Docker Compose
• Docker Desktop (optional for GUI-based management)

Ensure Docker is running, and you have the correct permissions to use it (e.g., part of the docker group on Linux).

Steps

1. Clone the VM Lab main repository to your machine.

   git clone https://github.com/isislab-unisa/vm-lab.git

2. Edit the first_users.yaml file to define initial users.

   first_users:
      # Example User 1
      - username: jsmith
         email: [email protected]
         first_name: John
         last_name: Smith
         password: abc
         role: admin
      
      # Example User 2
      - username: rbriggs
         email: [email protected]
         first_name: Rebecca
         last_name: Briggs
         password: def
         role: regular

Caution

Do not include sensitive credentials. Use simple default values and change them later via the system UI.

3. If needed, edit the template_secrets.toml file to configure the settings of the system. For example:

   • The name of the authentication cookie.
   • The cookie expiry.
   • The VM minimum sharing permissions.

4. Start the Docker Compose process:

   docker compose up -d

   This will:

   • Create the PostgreSQL database and volume.
   • Create the database tables from the init-db.sql file.
   • Pull the Dockerfile from the SSH module and SFTP module repositories and build them.
   • Build the main app from the Dockerfile of VM Lab.

5. The application will be served on the port 8501.