Ubuntu Development Environment in Docker

A fully-featured Ubuntu 24.04 desktop environment running in a Docker container with remote access capabilities via SSH, NoMachine, and VS Code Server.

Features

• Ubuntu 24.04 Desktop: Full GNOME desktop environment
• Remote Access:
  • SSH server on port 2222
  • NoMachine remote desktop on port 4003
  • VS Code Server (web-based) on port 8585
• Development Tools:
  • Build essentials (gcc, make, etc.)
  • Git, Vim, Nano, tmux
  • Python 3 with pip and pipx
  • Node.js (LTS) via NVM
  • Poetry (Python package manager)
  • Claude Code CLI
  • Docker-in-Docker support
• Browsers: Google Chrome and Firefox pre-installed
• VS Code: Desktop version installed with optional web-based server
• Persistent Storage: Home directory persists between container restarts

Quick Start

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd docker

2. Set up environment variables:

   cp .env.example .env

3. Generate a secure password hash:

   ./generate-password-hash.sh

   Copy the generated hash to your .env file.

4. Build and run the container:

   docker-compose up -d

Configuration

Environment Variables (.env)

Variable	Default	Description
USERNAME	default-user	Container user name
USER_UID	1000	User ID (match your host user for file permissions)
USER_GID	1000	Group ID
USER_PASSWORD_HASH	-	Hashed password for the user (required)
USER_PASSWORD	-	Plain text password (less secure alternative)

VS Code Server Options

Variable	Default	Description
VSCODE_PORT	8585	Port for VS Code Server
VSCODE_HOST	0.0.0.0	Binding host
VSCODE_TOKEN	-	Access token for security
VSCODE_SERVER_BASE_PATH	-	URL base path (e.g., /vscode)

Accessing the Environment

SSH Access

ssh -p 2222 your-username@localhost

NoMachine Remote Desktop

1. Install NoMachine client on your host machine
2. Connect to localhost:4003
3. Use your container credentials to log in

VS Code Server (Web)

Navigate to http://localhost:8585 in your browser (if enabled).

Directory Structure

• dockerfile: Container image definition
• docker-compose.yml: Service configuration
• .env.example: Example environment variables
• generate-password-hash.sh: Utility to create secure password hashes
• workspace/: Mounted directory for your projects

Volumes

• dev-home: Persistent home directory storage
• ./workspace: Host directory mounted at ~/workspace in container

Security Notes

1. Password Security: Always use USER_PASSWORD_HASH instead of plain text passwords
2. Privileged Container: Runs with elevated privileges for systemd compatibility
3. Port Exposure: Only expose necessary ports in production environments

Docker-in-Docker

The container includes Docker CLI and can optionally connect to the host's Docker daemon by uncommenting this line in docker-compose.yml:

# - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock

Troubleshooting

Container won't start

• Ensure all required ports are available
• Check Docker logs: docker-compose logs

Can't connect via SSH/NoMachine

• Verify the password was set correctly in .env
• Check if services are running: docker exec ubuntu-dev systemctl status ssh nxserver

Permission issues with mounted volumes

• Ensure USER_UID and USER_GID match your host user

Checking initialization logs

The container logs all initialization steps to /var/log/container-init.log. To view:

docker exec ubuntu-dev cat /var/log/container-init.log

Requirements

• Docker Engine 20.10+
• Docker Compose 2.0+
• 8GB+ RAM recommended for desktop environment
• 20GB+ disk space

Built With

This project was fully developed using Claude Code - Anthropic's AI-powered coding assistant.

License

[Your License Here]