A complete Dockerfile for Web Apps – Xojo Programming Blog

For a comprehensive guide on deploying Xojo web apps to any server, please refer to the video tutorial available at: https://youtu.be/ARr7d6Z6CRY

The Dockerfile below should be placed in the same directory as your Xojo project
Remember to modify the WEBAPP_NAME variable on line 33 to match the name of your project
Feel free to customize this Dockerfile to suit your specific needs. We encourage you to share your modifications and experiences in the Xojo forum

# Step-by-Step Instructions for Building, Saving, and Running the Image:
# 1. Build the Docker image:
#    "docker build -t hellodocker-image ."
#    This creates a Docker image named "hellodocker-image" based on this Dockerfile.
#
# 2. Save the Docker image to a tar file:
#    "docker save -o hellodocker-image.tar hellodocker-image"
#    This saves the "hellodocker-image" to a file named "hellodocker-image.tar".
#    You can use this file to transfer the image to another server.
#
# 3. Upload the .tar file to the remote server.
#    After transferring the tar file, follow these steps on the remote server:
#
#    3.1 Load the Docker image:
#        "docker load -i hellodocker-image.tar"
#        This imports the image into the Docker environment on the server.
#
#    3.2 Run a container from the image:
#        "docker run -d --name hellodocker-container --restart always -p 7000:80 hellodocker-image"
#        This creates and starts a container named "hellodocker-container" that:
#        - Restarts automatically if it stops (via `--restart always`).
#        - Maps port 80 inside the container to port 7000 on the host machine.
#
#    3.3 Verify the web app is running:
#        Open a web browser and navigate to http://server-ip:7000
#        Replace "server-ip" with the IP address of your remote server.
#
# Complete video guide at: https://youtu.be/ARr7d6Z6CRY

# Use Ubuntu 22.04 as the base image for the container.
FROM ubuntu:22.04

# Define the name of the Xojo web app executable.
# This should match the exact name of your compiled Xojo web app (case-sensitive).
ENV WEBAPP_NAME=HelloDocker

# Prevent interactive prompts during the installation of dependencies.
ENV DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive

# Install required system libraries for the Xojo web app to run, and purge unnecessary software (PHP, Python, Apache)
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
    curl \
    ca-certificates \
    libunwind8 \
    libsoup2.4 \
    libpango-1.0 \
    libicu70 \
    libglib2.0 \
    libgtk-3-0 \
    && apt-get purge -y php* python3* apache2* libapache2-mod-php* \
    && apt-get autoremove -y \
    && apt-get clean \
    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*

RUN useradd --create-home ${WEBAPP_NAME}

# Set the working directory inside the container.
# This is where the web app files will be located.
WORKDIR /${WEBAPP_NAME}

# Copy the built Xojo web app from the build context into the container.
# Remember, this Dockerfile must be placed in the same folder as the Xojo project.
COPY ["Builds - ${WEBAPP_NAME}/Linux 64 bit/${WEBAPP_NAME}", "."]

# Change ownership of the application files to the non-root user
RUN chown -R ${WEBAPP_NAME}:${WEBAPP_NAME} /${WEBAPP_NAME}

# Ensure the main web app executable has permission to run
RUN chmod +x ${WEBAPP_NAME}

# Create a directory for persistent data storage.
# Ensure the data directory is owned by the non-root user.
RUN mkdir -p /home/${WEBAPP_NAME}/data && chown -R ${WEBAPP_NAME}:${WEBAPP_NAME} /home/${WEBAPP_NAME}/data

# Define the volume for the container to store data.
# The contents of "/home/${WEBAPP_NAME}/data" will persist outside the container.
VOLUME /home/${WEBAPP_NAME}/data

# Switch to the non-root user for security purposes.
# All subsequent instructions (including CMD) will run as this user.
USER ${WEBAPP_NAME}

# Expose port 80 inside the container.
# This allows the web app to listen on port 80, which will be mapped to port 7000
# on the host machine when the container is run.
EXPOSE 80

# Start the Xojo web app when the container runs.
# The app will listen on port 80 inside the container.
CMD ["sh", "-c", "./${WEBAPP_NAME} --port=80"]

Gabriel is a digital marketing enthusiast who loves coding with Xojo to create cool software tools for any platform. He is always eager to learn and share new ideas!