PeiDocker Usage

Overview

PeiDocker (pei-docker-cli) is a tool that automates the creation of Docker environments. Instead of writing complex Dockerfiles and docker-compose.yml files, you define your environment in a high-level YAML file (user_config.yml). PeiDocker then generates the necessary Docker configuration.

Official Repository: https://github.com/igamenovoer/PeiDocker

Key Features:

• Two-Stage Builds: Separates system setup (stage-1) from application/dev setup (stage-2).
• Built-in SSH: easy configuration of SSH access to containers.
• Dynamic Storage: Seamlessly switch between host-mounted volumes (dev) and Docker volumes (deployment).
• Proxy Support: Configure proxies for build and run time.

Execution Strategy

When invoking pei-docker-cli, follow this priority order:

1. Project-Local (Pixi): If working in a Pixi-managed project (check for pyproject.toml or pixi.toml with pei-docker dependency), use:

   pixi run pei-docker-cli ...

2. Global (uv): Check for global installation:

   uv tool run pei-docker-cli ...

3. Fallback: If neither is found, suggest installation:
   • In Pixi project: pixi add pei-docker
   • Global usage: uv tool install pei-docker

Workflow

The standard workflow for using PeiDocker is:

1. Create a Project

Initialize a new PeiDocker project in a target directory.

pixi run pei-docker-cli create -p path/to/project_dir

This creates the directory structure and a template user_config.yml.

2. Configure (user_config.yml)

Edit the user_config.yml in the project directory to define your environment.

Key Sections:

• stage_1: Base image settings (OS, system packages).
  • image: Base image (e.g., ubuntu:24.04) and output tag.
  • ssh: Enable SSH, set ports and users.
  • apt: Configure apt mirrors (e.g., tuna, aliyun).
• stage_2: Application/Developer settings.
  • storage: Define where /app, /data, and /workspace map to (host paths or auto-volumes).
  • custom: Scripts to run on build, first run, or login.

See basic-examples.md and advanced-examples.md for detailed configuration examples.

3. Generate Docker Files

After editing user_config.yml, generate the docker-compose.yml and Dockerfiles.

# From within the project directory
cd path/to/project_dir
pixi run pei-docker-cli configure

# Or specifying the path
pixi run pei-docker-cli configure -p path/to/project_dir

4. Build and Run

Use standard docker compose commands to build and start the containers.

cd path/to/project_dir

# Build the images (progress=plain shows build logs)
docker compose build stage-1 --progress=plain
docker compose build stage-2 --progress=plain

# Run the container (usually stage-2 for development)
docker compose up -d stage-2

Common Tasks

Adding Custom Scripts

PeiDocker allows running scripts at various lifecycle stages. Scripts should be placed in container-scripts/ (to run inside container) or host-scripts/ (to run on host).

In user_config.yml:

stage_2:
  custom:
    on_build:
      - 'stage-2/custom/install-my-app.sh'
    on_first_run:
      - 'stage-2/custom/setup-env.sh'

Configuring SSH

To enable SSH access:

stage_1:
  ssh:
    enable: true
    port: 22          # Container internal port
    host_port: 2222   # Host mapped port
    users:
      developer:
        password: 'password123'
        pubkey_file: '~' # Use current user's public key

References

• guidelines.md: Best practices for project structure, data safety, and customization.
• user-config-reference.md: Full reference for user_config.yml options.
• installation-scripts.md: Usage guide for system installation scripts (Pixi, uv, Node.js, Bun).
• user_config.yml: Template for a full user_config.yml file.
• basic-examples.md: Basic configurations (SSH, GPU, Volumes).
• advanced-examples.md: Advanced scenarios (Env Vars, OpenGL, Complex Apps).
• cli-reference.md: Detailed CLI command reference.