Docker Image Publisher

A powerful, user-friendly web-based tool for managing Docker images exclusively on Ubuntu servers. Build, manage, and publish Docker images through an intuitive web interface with no terminal commands required.

⚠️ Important: This application is designed specifically for Ubuntu Server environments and will not work on Windows, macOS, or other operating systems.

🚀 Features

Core Functionality

• Web-Based Interface: Complete Docker image management through a modern web UI
• No Terminal Required: All operations handled through the web interface
• Real-Time Updates: Live progress tracking for build and push operations
• Tutorial Mode: Interactive guided experience for beginners
• Advanced Mode: Streamlined interface for experienced users

Docker Operations

• Image Management: List, inspect, and delete Docker images
• Image Building: Build Docker images from Dockerfiles with real-time logs
• Registry Publishing: Push images to Docker Hub or private registries
• Build History: Track and review previous build operations
• Multi-Architecture Support: Build for different platforms and architectures

System Features

• Automatic Setup: One-command installation with all dependencies
• Service Management: Systemd integration for reliable service management
• Nginx Reverse Proxy: Production-ready web server configuration
• Security: Dedicated user account and proper permission management
• Monitoring: Comprehensive logging and status monitoring

📋 Requirements

System Requirements

• Operating System: Ubuntu Server 18.04 LTS or later (Ubuntu Desktop also supported)
• Architecture: x86_64 (amd64)
• Memory: Minimum 2GB RAM (4GB+ recommended)
• Storage: At least 10GB free space
• Network: Internet connection for package installation
• Shell: Bash shell environment (required for installation scripts)

🚫 Not Compatible With: Windows, macOS, CentOS, RHEL, or other Linux distributions

Prerequisites

• Docker: Must be installed and running
• Root Access: Required for installation and service management
• Ports: Port 80 must be available (or configure alternative)

Supported Docker Versions

• Docker Engine 19.03 or later
• Docker Compose 1.25 or later (optional)

🛠️ Installation

Quick Start (Recommended)

The easiest way to install Docker Image Publisher is using the runner script:

# Download the project
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/docker-image-publisher.git
cd docker-image-publisher

# Make runner executable
chmod +x runner.sh

# Run interactive installer
sudo ./runner.sh

Select option 1) Install from the menu and follow the prompts.

Manual Installation

For more control over the installation process:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/docker-image-publisher.git
cd docker-image-publisher

# Make scripts executable
chmod +x *.sh

# Run installation
sudo ./install.sh

Installation Process

The installation script will:

1. System Check: Verify Ubuntu version and Docker installation
2. Dependencies: Install Python 3.8+, pip, nginx, and other requirements
3. User Setup: Create dedicated docker-publisher system user
4. Application: Set up application in /opt/docker-image-publisher
5. Virtual Environment: Create isolated Python environment
6. Dependencies: Install Python packages from requirements.txt
7. Services: Configure systemd service and nginx reverse proxy
8. Firewall: Configure UFW rules (if enabled)
9. Startup: Start services and enable auto-start

🎯 Usage

Accessing the Web Interface

After installation, access the web interface at:

• Local: http://localhost
• Network: http://your-server-ip
• Custom Port: http://your-server-ip:port (if configured)

First-Time Setup

1. Choose Mode: Select Tutorial or Advanced mode
2. Docker Status: Verify Docker connection
3. Registry Setup: Configure Docker Hub or private registry credentials
4. Build Your First Image: Follow the guided tutorial

Tutorial Mode

Perfect for beginners or learning:

• Step-by-Step Guidance: Interactive tutorials for each operation
• Explanations: Detailed explanations of Docker concepts
• Best Practices: Learn Docker image building best practices
• Safety Checks: Warnings and confirmations for destructive operations

Advanced Mode

Streamlined interface for experienced users:

• Quick Access: Direct access to all features
• Batch Operations: Perform multiple operations efficiently
• Advanced Options: Access to all Docker build parameters
• Minimal Confirmations: Faster workflow with fewer prompts

Key Operations

Building Images

1. Navigate to "Build Image" tab
2. Select Dockerfile or upload one
3. Configure build parameters (tags, build args, etc.)
4. Monitor real-time build progress
5. Review build logs and results

Publishing Images

1. Go to "Publish Image" tab
2. Select image to publish
3. Configure registry and repository details
4. Add tags and metadata
5. Monitor upload progress

Managing Images

1. View all images in "Images" tab
2. Inspect image details and layers
3. Delete unused images
4. Export/import images

🔧 Management

Service Management

Use the runner script for easy management:

# Interactive menu
sudo ./runner.sh

# Direct commands
sudo ./runner.sh start     # Start service
sudo ./runner.sh stop      # Stop service
sudo ./runner.sh restart   # Restart service
sudo ./runner.sh status    # Show status
sudo ./runner.sh logs      # View logs

Manual Service Commands

# Service control
sudo systemctl start docker-image-publisher
sudo systemctl stop docker-image-publisher
sudo systemctl restart docker-image-publisher
sudo systemctl status docker-image-publisher

# View logs
sudo journalctl -u docker-image-publisher -f

# Enable/disable auto-start
sudo systemctl enable docker-image-publisher
sudo systemctl disable docker-image-publisher

Configuration

Environment Configuration

Edit /opt/docker-image-publisher/.env:

# Application settings
FLASK_ENV=production
FLASK_DEBUG=false
SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key

# Server settings
HOST=0.0.0.0
PORT=5000

# Docker settings
DOCKER_HOST=unix:///var/run/docker.sock

# Logging
LOG_LEVEL=INFO
LOG_FILE=/var/log/docker-image-publisher/app.log

Nginx Configuration

Customize /etc/nginx/sites-available/docker-image-publisher:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name your-domain.com;
    
    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:5000;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    }
    
    location /socket.io {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:5000;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
    }
}

Updating

# Using runner script
sudo ./runner.sh update

# Manual update
sudo ./stop.sh
git pull origin main
sudo cp -r * /opt/docker-image-publisher/
sudo chown -R docker-publisher:docker-publisher /opt/docker-image-publisher
sudo -u docker-publisher /opt/docker-image-publisher/venv/bin/pip install -r /opt/docker-image-publisher/requirements.txt
sudo ./start.sh

Backup and Restore

Backup

# Create backup directory
sudo mkdir -p /backup/docker-image-publisher

# Backup application
sudo tar -czf /backup/docker-image-publisher/app-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz -C /opt docker-image-publisher

# Backup configuration
sudo cp /etc/nginx/sites-available/docker-image-publisher /backup/docker-image-publisher/
sudo cp /etc/systemd/system/docker-image-publisher.service /backup/docker-image-publisher/

Restore

# Stop service
sudo ./stop.sh

# Restore application
sudo tar -xzf /backup/docker-image-publisher/app-YYYYMMDD.tar.gz -C /opt

# Restore configuration
sudo cp /backup/docker-image-publisher/docker-image-publisher /etc/nginx/sites-available/
sudo cp /backup/docker-image-publisher/docker-image-publisher.service /etc/systemd/system/

# Reload and start
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo ./start.sh

🔍 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Service Won't Start

# Check service status
sudo systemctl status docker-image-publisher

# Check logs
sudo journalctl -u docker-image-publisher -n 50

# Check Docker
sudo docker info

# Check permissions
sudo ls -la /opt/docker-image-publisher

Web Interface Not Accessible

# Check nginx status
sudo systemctl status nginx

# Check port binding
sudo netstat -tlnp | grep :80

# Check firewall
sudo ufw status

# Test local connection
curl http://localhost

Docker Operations Fail

# Check Docker daemon
sudo systemctl status docker

# Check Docker socket permissions
sudo ls -la /var/run/docker.sock

# Add user to docker group
sudo usermod -aG docker docker-publisher

# Restart service
sudo systemctl restart docker-image-publisher

Build Failures

1. Check Dockerfile syntax
2. Verify base image availability
3. Check build context size
4. Review build logs in web interface
5. Ensure sufficient disk space

Log Locations

• Application Logs: /var/log/docker-image-publisher/app.log
• System Logs: sudo journalctl -u docker-image-publisher
• Nginx Logs: /var/log/nginx/access.log, /var/log/nginx/error.log
• Docker Logs: sudo journalctl -u docker

Performance Tuning

For High-Volume Usage

# Increase worker processes
# Edit /opt/docker-image-publisher/.env
WORKERS=4
WORKER_CONNECTIONS=1000

# Optimize nginx
# Edit /etc/nginx/nginx.conf
worker_processes auto;
worker_connections 1024;

# Increase system limits
# Edit /etc/systemd/system/docker-image-publisher.service
[Service]
LimitNOFILE=65536
LimitNPROC=32768

🔒 Security

Security Features

• Dedicated User: Runs under docker-publisher system user
• Limited Permissions: Minimal required system permissions
• Secure Defaults: Production-ready security configuration
• Input Validation: All user inputs are validated and sanitized
• CSRF Protection: Cross-site request forgery protection
• Secure Headers: Security headers in HTTP responses

Security Best Practices

1. Keep Updated: Regularly update the application and dependencies
2. Firewall: Use UFW or iptables to restrict access
3. HTTPS: Configure SSL/TLS certificates for production
4. Authentication: Consider adding authentication for multi-user environments
5. Network: Run on private networks when possible
6. Monitoring: Monitor logs for suspicious activity

Hardening

# Enable firewall
sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw allow ssh
sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
sudo ufw allow 443/tcp

# Disable unnecessary services
sudo systemctl disable apache2  # if installed
sudo systemctl disable sendmail  # if installed

# Set up fail2ban (optional)
sudo apt install fail2ban
sudo systemctl enable fail2ban

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guidelines for details.

Development Setup

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/docker-image-publisher.git
cd docker-image-publisher

# Create virtual environment
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Run development server
FLASK_ENV=development python app.py

Running Tests

# Install test dependencies
pip install -r requirements-dev.txt

# Run tests
pytest tests/

# Run with coverage
pytest --cov=app tests/

🔧 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Runner Script Not Waiting for Input

Problem: When using the runner script for uninstallation, it doesn't wait for 'y' confirmation.

Solution: This has been fixed in the latest version. The runner script now properly handles terminal input/output. If you still experience issues:

# Option 1: Run uninstall script directly
sudo ./uninstall.sh

# Option 2: Force uninstall without confirmation
sudo FORCE_UNINSTALL=true ./uninstall.sh

# Option 3: Update to latest runner script
git pull origin main
chmod +x runner.sh
sudo ./runner.sh

Installation Fails on Non-Ubuntu Systems

Problem: Scripts fail when run on Windows, macOS, or other Linux distributions.

Solution: This application only works on Ubuntu Server/Desktop. Use a Ubuntu virtual machine or server.

Docker Not Found

Problem: Installation fails with "Docker not found" error.

Solution: Install Docker first:

# Install Docker on Ubuntu
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o get-docker.sh
sudo sh get-docker.sh
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
# Log out and back in, then retry installation

Permission Denied Errors

Problem: Scripts fail with permission errors.

Solution: Ensure scripts are executable and run with sudo:

chmod +x *.sh
sudo ./runner.sh

Service Won't Start

Problem: Docker Image Publisher service fails to start.

Solution: Check logs and dependencies:

# Check service status
sudo systemctl status docker-image-publisher

# View logs
sudo journalctl -u docker-image-publisher -f

# Restart service
sudo systemctl restart docker-image-publisher

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🆘 Support

Getting Help

• Documentation: Check this README and inline help
• Issues: Report bugs on GitHub Issues
• Discussions: Join GitHub Discussions

Reporting Issues

When reporting issues, please include:

1. System Information: Ubuntu version, Docker version
2. Error Messages: Complete error messages and stack traces
3. Steps to Reproduce: Detailed steps to reproduce the issue
4. Logs: Relevant log entries
5. Configuration: Any custom configuration changes

🗺️ Roadmap

Planned Features

• Multi-Registry Support: Support for multiple Docker registries
• Image Scanning: Security vulnerability scanning
• Build Caching: Intelligent build caching for faster builds
• User Management: Multi-user support with role-based access
• API Access: REST API for programmatic access
• Kubernetes Integration: Deploy images directly to Kubernetes
• Build Pipelines: CI/CD pipeline integration
• Image Analytics: Usage analytics and optimization suggestions

Version History

• v1.0.0: Initial release with core functionality
• v1.1.0: Tutorial mode and improved UI
• v1.2.0: Advanced build options and registry management

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Flask: Web framework
• Docker: Containerization platform
• Socket.IO: Real-time communication
• Bootstrap: UI framework
• Ubuntu: Operating system platform

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Made with ❤️ for the Docker community

For more information, visit our GitHub repository.