questions regarding Docker, Ada and Alire

[Kenneth Wolcott]

Hi;

Has anybody used a Docker container with Ada and Alire (obviously Linux)?

If so,

1. did you create a Docker image using a Dockerfile?

or

2. did you find a Docker base (eg: official Docker Ubuntu) image and modify it by downloading gnat source, compiling and installing it and then downloading Alire, compiling and installing it?

or

3. Found an exiting Docker Linux image with all of the above all nicely preconfigured?

If you used a Dockerfile, would you mind sharing it?

I'm on a Mac with M1 chip and would like to consider getting Ada and Alire working in this manner as an alternative that *might* work more effectively than what I'm trying now.

Thanks,
Ken Wolcott

[Kenneth Wolcott]

Update:

I chose the gcc linux/amd64 Docker Official Image (could have chosen Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, Rocky, etc).

I downloaded the Linux Alire package and copied it over to the Docker container interactively running bash using the aforementioned Docker image.

I was able to get Alire to install the gnat native compiler for gcc13.

Now what remains is for me to re-learn how to use Docker and how to use Alire...like getting the Alire Docker container environment to be persistent...

Perhaps I will try a different official Docker image as a base to start with as I really don't need anything gcc related that Alire doesn't provide...

Perhaps I will try to create my own Dockerfile to create my own Docker image in which to run containers from.

I was hoping (still hoping) to get some sage advice from those here on any gotchas or suggestions to enhance the experience...

Thanks,
Ken

[Stéphane Rivière]

Hi Kenneth,

Docker's main relevant use is to offer, at the price of a slight loss of
performance (~15% max), a solid integration for a complex application
including multiple linked programmes (e.g. a mail server).

Docker's interface and standardization make it a pleasure to use. Docker
is also a fast way of deploying a test environment and, in some cases,
Docker is the best way to install an application.

But today's followers sheep swear by micro-services¹, docker, k8s and
other concepts that make applications huge, horribly complex and
non-debuggable...

¹ Since many coders are unable to create more than a few hundred
coherent lines, let's multiply these blocks of code into hundreds of
micro-services, which communicate in a complex and inefficient way.

So, docker is good, Alire is great, but these concepts don't solve
everything. It could be an interesting experiment to link the two if
there are complex program associations.

For example, Docker and Ada could be combined to create a business
application with an integrated MySQL or PostgreSQL DB. Even if the
adoption of the very powerful SQLite would make it possible not to use
Docker.

We avoid using Docker in our multi-DC infrastructure based on Xen and
Debian since we already handle Xen virtual instances. We also observed
that a Docker instance was less reliable and secure than a virtualized
Xen or KVM instance.

We look forward to hearing about your experiences :)

--
Stéphane Rivière
Ile d'Oléron - France