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This project provides a docker image which supports ubuntu desktop (xfce4, lightweight, fast and low on system resources), so that you can run virtual ubuntu desktop in container, you can access it by using ssh or remote desktop just like a virtual machine.

Hardware GPU accelerated rendering for 3D GUI application is supported in container, it's based on EGL by using VirtualGL, and doesn't require /tmp/.X11-unix. if you needn't hardware GPU accelerated rendering, you can also run this container on headless host without GPU (for exmaple, Cloud Server), remote desktop and 3d GUI based on software rendering (high cpu usgae) is also supported.

Tip: Hardware GPU accelerated rendering is only verified on ubuntu desktop system host with monitor. i'm not sure if hardware GPU accelerated rendering can work for headless ubuntu server system host.

• Remote access by ssh and remote desktop (nomachine/kasmvnc/novnc).
• OpenGL rendering based on software rasterizer (LLVMpipe) with high CPU usgae. (default)
• OpenGL rendering based on Nvidia GPU hardware-accelerated.
• Pre-installed Firefox web browser.
• pre-installed CUDA toolkit, which is useful for deep learning, such as pytorch, tensorflow.

Tip: it's useful to share public computer resources in labs, you can run a independent computer environment like a virtual machine, but more lightweight, and easier to deploy.

• fast to deploy multiple independent developing environment on a single computer.
• easy to share files with host or another container.
• easy to transfer environment to another new computer (save and load image).

xfce4 desktop:

Supported Tags (you can find here Github Tag)：

• Tags of base image：18.04, 20.04, 22.04, 24.04
• Tags of image with cuda (based on nvidia/cuda)：18.04-cu11.0.3, 20.04-cu11.0.3 etc.
• naming rules is {UBUNTU VERSION}-cu{CUDA VERSION}, you can find supported {CUDA VERSION} in Docker Image <nvidia/cuda>

Supported {CUDA VERSION}:

• Ubuntu18.04：11.0.3, 11.1.1, 11.2.2
• Ubuntu20.04：11.0.3, 11.1.0, 11.2.2, 11.3.1, 11.4.3, 11.5.2, 11.6.2, 11.7.1
• Ubuntu22.04：11.7.1, 11.8.0, 12.0.1, 12.1.1, 12.2.2, 12.3.2, 12.4.1, 12.5.1
• Ubuntu24.04：12.5.1 , 12.6.2

• install nvidia driver
• install docker and nvidia-container-runtime.

Tip: the newer cuda version isn't supported if you use older nvidia driver.

pull docker image

docker pull gezp/ubuntu-desktop:20.04-cu11.0.3
# use aliyuncs mirror for chinese users (国内用户可使用阿里云仓库)
# docker pull registry.cn-hongkong.aliyuncs.com/gezp/ubuntu-desktop:20.04-cu11.0.3

create container

# create container with nomachine
docker run -d --restart=on-failure \
    --name my_workspace \
    --cap-add=SYS_PTRACE \
    --gpus all  \
    --shm-size=1024m \
    -e USER=ubuntu \
    -e PASSWORD=ubuntu \
    -e GID=$(id -g) \
    -e UID=$(id -u) \
    -p 10022:22 \
    -p 14000:4000 \
    -p 15000:5000 \
    gezp/ubuntu-desktop:20.04-cu11.0.3

# create container with kasmvnc/novnc
docker run -d --restart=on-failure \
    --name my_workspace \
    --gpus all  \
    --shm-size=1024m \
    -e USER=ubuntu \
    -e PASSWORD=ubuntu \
    -e GID=$(id -g) \
    -e UID=$(id -u) \
    -e REMOTE_DESKTOP=kasmvnc \
    -p 10022:22 \
    -p 14000:4000 \
    -p 15000:5000 \
    gezp/ubuntu-desktop:20.04-cu11.0.3

• the default username and password are both ubuntu.

access container by ssh

ssh ubuntu@host-ip -p 10022

• it's recommended to use vscode + remote ssh plugin

access container by remote desktop (nomachine)

• download and install nomachine software.
• the ip is host's ip, the port is 14000.

access container by remote desktop (kasmvnc/novnc)

• use browser to access https://<host-ip>:14000 (chrome is recommended)

Tip novnc option based on TurboVNC + noVNC, which are free and open-source softwares.

features of moachine/kasmvnc/novnc:

• moachine: need client software to access remote desktop, and support audio, uploads, downloads.
• kasmvnc/novnc: provide remote web-based access to desktop, but it doesn't support audio, uploads, downloads, and microphone pass-through.

access container by code-server (VS Code in the browser)

• use browser to access https://<host-ip>:15000 (chrome is recommended)

configure by setting environment variables when you create container.

• REMOTE_DESKTOP: nomachine (default) , kasmvnc, novnc.
• VNC_THREADS: RectThread num for vncserver, only used when REMOTE_DESKTOP = kasmvnc. default is 2, set 0 for auto.
• HTTPS_CERT: SSL pem certificate file path to use for https server(kasmvnc/nonvc)
• HTTPS_CERT_KEY: SSL pem key file path to use for https server(kasmvnc/nonvc)

vglrun glxinfo | grep -i "opengl"

• hardware-accelerated is enable successfully if it's output contain NVIDIA Product Series.

you need add prefix vglrun for command when you run 3D software, for example vglrun gazebo.

# vulkan info
vulkaninfo | grep -i "GPU"
# vulkan demo
vkcube

• it's output should contain NVIDIA Product Series if vulkan works well.

add shell in .bashrc to update environment variable

export CUDA_HOME=/usr/local/cuda
export PATH=/usr/local/cuda/bin:$PATH
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/cuda/lib64:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH

• for detailed usage, you can refer to nvidia/cuda Docker Image.

for example

git clone https://github.com/gezp/docker-ubuntu-desktop.git
cd docker-ubuntu-desktop
# for 20.04
./docker_build.sh 20.04
# for 20.04-cu11.0.3  (based on nvidia/cuda)
./docker_build.sh 20.04-cu11.0.3

thanks to the authors of following related projects:

• https://github.com/selkies-project/docker-nvidia-egl-desktop
• https://github.com/kasmtech/KasmVNC
• https://github.com/VirtualGL/virtualgl
• https://github.com/linuxserver/docker-baseimage-kasmvnc