How to mount host volumes into docker containers in Dockerfile during build
Original question: How to use the VOLUME instruction in Dockerfile?
The actual question I want to solve is -- how to mount host volumes into docker containers in Dockerfile during build, i.e., having the docker run -v /export:/export capability during docker build.
The reason behind it, for me, is when building things in Docker, I don't want those (apt-get install) caches locked in a single docker, but to share/reuse them. That's the main reason I'm asking about this question.
Latest Update:
Before docker v18.09, the correct answer should be the one that starts with:
There is a way to mount a volume during a build, but it doesn't involve Dockerfiles.
However, that was a poorly stated, organized and supported answer. When I was reinstalling my docker contains, I happened to stumble upon the following article:
Dockerize an apt-cacher-ng service
https://docs.docker.com/engine/examples/apt-cacher-ng/
That's the docker's solution to this/my question, not directly but indirectly. It's the orthodox way docker suggests us to do. And I admit it is better than the one I was trying to ask here.
Another way is, the newly accepted answer, e.g., the Buildkit in v18.09.
Pick whichever suits you.
Was: There had been a solution -- rocker, which was not from Docker, but now that rocker is discontinued, I revert the answer back to "Not possible" again.
Old Update: So the answer is "Not possible". I can accept it as an answer as I know the issue has been extensively discussed at https://github.com/docker/docker/issues/3156. I can understand that portability is a paramount issue for docker developer; but as a docker user, I have to say I'm very disappointed about this missing feature. Let me close my argument with a quote from aforementioned discussion: "I would like to use Gentoo as a base image but definitely don't want > 1GB of Portage tree data to be in any of the layers once the image has been built. You could have some nice a compact containers if it wasn't for the gigantic portage tree having to appear in the image during the install." Yes, I can use wget or curl to download whatever I need, but the fact that merely a portability consideration is now forcing me to download > 1GB of Portage tree each time I build a Gentoo base image is neither efficient nor user friendly. Further more, the package repository WILL ALWAYS be under /usr/portage, thus ALWAYS PORTABLE under Gentoo. Again, I respect the decision, but please allow me expressing my disappointment as well in the mean time. Thanks.
Original question in details:
From
Share Directories via Volumes
http://docker.readthedocs.org/en/v0.7.3/use/working_with_volumes/
it says that Data volumes feature "have been available since version 1 of the Docker Remote API". My docker is of version 1.2.0, but I found the example given in above article not working:
# BUILD-USING: docker build -t data .
# RUN-USING: docker run -name DATA data
FROM busybox
VOLUME ["/var/volume1", "/var/volume2"]
CMD ["/usr/bin/true"]
What's the proper way in Dockerfile to mount host-mounted volumes into docker containers, via the VOLUME command?
$ apt-cache policy lxc-docker
lxc-docker:
Installed: 1.2.0
Candidate: 1.2.0
Version table:
*** 1.2.0 0
500 https://get.docker.io/ubuntu/ docker/main amd64 Packages
100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
$ cat Dockerfile
FROM debian:sid
VOLUME ["/export"]
RUN ls -l /export
CMD ls -l /export
$ docker build -t data .
Sending build context to Docker daemon 2.56 kB
Sending build context to Docker daemon
Step 0 : FROM debian:sid
---> 77e97a48ce6a
Step 1 : VOLUME ["/export"]
---> Using cache
---> 59b69b65a074
Step 2 : RUN ls -l /export
---> Running in df43c78d74be
total 0
---> 9d29a6eb263f
Removing intermediate container df43c78d74be
Step 3 : CMD ls -l /export
---> Running in 8e4916d3e390
---> d6e7e1c52551
Removing intermediate container 8e4916d3e390
Successfully built d6e7e1c52551
$ docker run data
total 0
$ ls -l /export | wc
20 162 1131
$ docker -v
Docker version 1.2.0, build fa7b24f
Answer
It is not possible to use the VOLUME instruction to tell docker what to mount. That would seriously break portability. This instruction tells docker that content in those directories does not go in images and can be accessed from other containers using the --volumes-from command line parameter. You have to run the container using -v /path/on/host:/path/in/container to access directories from the host.
Mounting host volumes during build is not possible. There is no privileged build and mounting the host would also seriously degrade portability. You might want to try using wget or curl to download whatever you need for the build and put it in place.