Docker container for development with ethereum. It can also be used to run a geth node

Contains:

• geth

Build

docker build -t kalessin/ethereum-dev .

or:

docker pull kalessin/ethereum-dev:latest

Run

Basic run command:

docker run -ti -p 30303:30303 kalessin/ethereum-dev /bin/bash

If you want geth to save blockchain in host instead of container, use docker volumes option. I.e:

mkdir $HOME/.ethereum
docker run -v $HOME/.ethereum:/root/.ethereum -ti -p 30303:30303 kalessin/ethereum-dev /bin/bash

Be careful not to mix private blockchain with public one. I recommend to reserve $HOME/.ethereum for public blockchain, and for private blockchain use instead:

mkdir $HOME/.private_ethereum
docker run -v $HOME/.private_ethereum:/root/.ethereum -ti -p 30303:30303 kalessin/ethereum-dev /bin/bash

If you will run Mist wallet, you need to enable applications running in container to access host X server:

XSOCK=/tmp/.X11-unix
XAUTH=/tmp/.docker.xauth
touch $XAUTH
xauth nlist :0 | sed -e 's/^..../ffff/' | xauth -f $XAUTH nmerge -

Then add the following options to docker run command:

-v $XSOCK:$XSOCK:rw -v $XAUTH:$XAUTH:rw -e DISPLAY -e XAUTHORITY=${XAUTH}

It is not the safest way to grant applications running in container access X server as root, but it is the simplest one. For more elaborated alternatives, check http://wiki.ros.org/docker/Tutorials/GUI

Also, you must separate Mist instance running in public blockchain, from private one. Full example for accesing public chain:

mkdir $HOME/.config/Mist
docker run -v $HOME/.ethereum:/root/.ethereum -v $HOME/.config/Mist:/root/.config/Mist \
       -v $XSOCK:$XSOCK:rw -v $XAUTH:$XAUTH:rw -e DISPLAY -e XAUTHORITY=${XAUTH} -ti -p 30303:30303 kalessin/ethereum-dev /bin/bash

For private chain alternative:

mkdir -p $HOME/.private_ethereum/Mist
docker run -v $HOME/.private_ethereum:/root/.ethereum -v $HOME/.private_ethereum/Mist:/root/.config/Mist \
       -v $XSOCK:$XSOCK:rw -v $XAUTH:$XAUTH:rw -e DISPLAY -e XAUTHORITY=${XAUTH} -ti -p 30303:30303 kalessin/ethereum-dev /bin/bash

Finally (before running Mist for first time in the new container), once in the container console, copy the file clientBinaries.json into /root/.config/Mist/ folder (if you are using same convention as instruction above). This file indicates the installed version of geth, in order to avoid Mist to try to download a new one by itself. If you built your own image instead of pulling it, your geth version may differ from the one set in that configuration file, so you may need to edit it.