FOSS World News: The Search for a GUI Docker

Tuesday, July 31, 2018

The Search for a GUI Docker

Docker is everything but pretty; let's try to fix that. Here's a rundown of some GUI options available for Docker.

I love Docker. At first it seemed a bit silly to me for a small-scale implementation like my home setup, but after learning how to use it, I fell in love. The standard features are certainly beneficial. It's great not worrying that one application's dependencies will step on or conflict with another's. But most applications are good about playing well with others, and package management systems keep things in order. So why do I docker run instead of apt-get install? Individualized system settings.

With Docker, I can have three of the same apps running side by side. They even can use the same port (internally) and not conflict. My torrent client can live inside a forced-VPN network, and I don't need to worry that it will somehow "leak" my personal IP data. Heck, I can run apps that work only on CentOS inside my Ubuntu Docker server, and it just works! In short, Docker is amazing.

I just wish I could remember all the commands.

Don't get me wrong, I'm familiar with Docker. I use it for most of my server needs. It's my first go-to when testing a new app. Heck, I taught an entire course on Docker for CBT Nuggets (my day job). The problem is, Docker works so well, I rarely need to interact with it. So, my FIFO buffer fills up, and I forget the simple command-line options to make Docker work. Also, because I like charts and graphs, I decided to install a Docker GUI. It was a bit of an adventure, so I thought I'd share the ins and outs of my experience.

My GUI Expectations

There are some things I don't really care about for a GUI. Oddly, one of the most common uses people have for a visual interface is the ability to create a Docker container. I actually don't mind using the command line when I'm creating a container, because it usually takes 5–10 attempts and tweaks before I get it how I want it. So for me, I'd like to have at least the following features:

A visual layout of all containers, whether or not they're running.
A way to start/stop/delete containers.
The ability to rename running containers, because I always forget to name them, and I get tired of seeing "chubby_cheetah" for container names.
A way to change the restart policy easily, so when I finally get a container right, I can have it --restart=always.
Show some statistics about the system and individual containers.
Read logs.
Work via web interface, so I can use it remotely.
Be a Docker container itself!

My list of needs is fairly simple, but oddly, many GUIs left me wanting. Since everyone's desires are different, I'll go over the most popular options I tried, and mention some pros and cons.

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