---
title: Docker
description: A guide for running Conky with Docker
indexWeight: 0
---

## Getting the image

Build the image with:

```shell-session
docker build --tag=conky .
```

or if you want the commandline version:

```shell-session
docker build --build-arg X11=no --tag=conkycmd .
```

## Running the container

After building you can run the graphical version with:

```shell-session
docker run --rm -ti --net=host -e DISPLAY -v ~/.Xauthority:/root/.Xauthority conky
```

The commandline version is easier:

```shell-session
docker run --rm -ti conkycmd
```

If you want to pass some options to conky you can just add them if you mention
'conky' twice. Once for the image and once for the command. For example:

```shell-session
docker run --rm -ti --net=host -e DISPLAY -v ~/.Xauthority:/root/.Xauthority conky conky --version
```

will show you the version of conky. Since you don't need X for this you could also do:

```shell-session
docker run --rm -ti conkycmd conky --version
```

If you want to fiddle around a bit with the configuration first you could do:

```shell-session
docker run --rm -ti --net=host -e DISPLAY -v ~/.Xauthority:/root/.Xauthority conky bash
```

_change things is in the configuration_

```shell-session
conky -c configurationfile ; exit
```

See the docker docs to a lot of other ways to (ab)use this container

## Why?

Disadvantages of using the docker:

- You'll have to install docker.
  This can be done by following the instructions in
  https://docs.docker.com/install/ to install docker CE. But just using the
  packagemanager of your distro like you would do with other software will work.
- A lot of info will be about the current container instead of the whole system
- At the moment our docker image is still in development fase.

Advantages of using docker:

- During the installation you won't have to care about which compilers,
  libraries, ... are installed. Neither should you care about how to use them.
- The containerization of conky will make it a lot harder to let problems with
  conky affect the rest of the system.
- Your Conky will run in exactly the same environment as everyone else's, so
  if it works for someone it will work for everyone. No matter which distro you
  are using or how you configured that distro. (The conky configuration itself
  will matter and also the version of conky)
- Problems will be easier to recreate by developers causing faster debugging.