orbit-db/docker/README.md

# Running OrbitDB code in containers

[Docker](https://github.com/docker/docker-ce) is a tool for running software in containers ie. OS-level virtualization. This directory contains the needed configuration files to:

- Build base Docker images for OrbitDB


## Base Docker image

[Dockerfile](Dockerfile) defines OrbitDB base images that are based on [official node.js -image](https://hub.docker.com/_/node/). 

Build local images with command (in repository root):

```bash
docker build -t orbit-db -f docker/Dockerfile .
```

After building local image, run node.js-examples inside container:

```bash
docker run -ti --rm orbit-db npm run examples:node
```

## Why would you want to run OrbitDB in container?

Containers are nice because as software execution environments they are:
- Reproducible, which helps testing and development because you can revert the container to original state by destroying it and creating it again,
- Isolated, which guarantees that external factors like npm versions, the operating system version, or other installed software like native compilers do not affect the execution.

They also make implementing virtualized networks for testing and benchmarking easier, which may help projects that use OrbitDB.

## Tested versions

- Docker 1.13.1 (Linux 4.17.5-100.fc27.x86_64)
- Docker 18.06.1-ce (Linux 4.17.5-100.fc27.x86_64)