Docker team is considering distributing Docker Desktop as a Flatpak and Snap

mr_MADAFAKA@lemmy.ml to Linux@lemmy.ml – 161 points – [Docker Desktop] Add installer to Flathub and Snap Store for Linux · Issue #593 · docker/roadmap
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There might be several misunderstandings:

  • Docker Desktop ≠ Docker Engine, and I think what you (and several in this thread) are thinking is actually Docker Engine. Docker Desktop ultimately includes a Docker Engine inside, but it does not appear you need that virtual machine (e.g. running non-Linux code). See: https://docs.docker.com/desktop/faqs/linuxfaqs/#what-is-the-difference-between-docker-desktop-for-linux-and-docker-engine
  • Docker Desktop is based on KVM, which already works with Flatpak. So this is not something new. For example, GNOME Boxes is available as Flatpak and provides a way to run KVM guests in SteamOS.
  • Starting with version 3.5 (the current stable) SteamOS already includes Podman with the default installation. And running the daemon-y Docker Engine “bare metal” is not going to be any easier with the immutable filesystem. While Docker Desktop solves this by using KVM, it adds another layer with performance loss, vs. just running Podman containers.

So what you want is already available, and no Docker Desktop is actually needed.

Ooh, didn't know about podman. That's neat.

Edit: shame they didn't include podman-compose as well.

Installing podman-compose with the immutable filesystem is fairly straight forward, since it is just a single Python file (https://github.com/containers/podman-compose/blob/devel/podman_compose.py), which you can basically install anywhere in your path. You can also first bootstrap pip (python3 get-pip.py --user with get-pip.py from https://github.com/pypa/get-pip) and then do pip3 install --user podman-compose.

Yep. That's what I plan to do, just a shame it isn't already there... also that I'm travelling from tomorrow so might have to defer it for a bit XD.

But so if Docker Desktop does include Docker Engine, does that mean I wiill now be able to run Docker (with a some performance loss) simply by installing a Flatpak, i.e. I won't even need to touch the CLI?

Yes. If you mean “CLI” as for e.g. pacman install, it is a GUI (Electron) application, so I expect will install straight from e.g. KDE Discover and then run without you touching the shell.

That is already a pretty big benefit to me, thanks for explaining!