Docker

This page has information on how to install and use GoCV on Docker.

Pre-built Docker images

There are a number of pre-built Docker images that you can use, or use as a starting point for your own needs. Please see https://hub.docker.com/r/gocv/opencv

Building from source

The project provides several Docker files which let you build GoCV images which you can then use to run GoCV applications in Docker containers. The Makefile contains docker target which lets you build Docker image with a single command:

make docker

By default Docker image built by running the command above ships Go version 1.24.4, but if you would like to build an image which uses different version of Go you can override the default value when running the target command:

make docker GOVERSION='1.24.5'

Running GUI programs in Docker on macOS

Sometimes your GoCV programs create graphical interfaces like windows eg. when you use gocv.Window type when you display an image or video stream. Running the programs which create graphical interfaces in Docker container on macOS is unfortunately a bit elaborate, but not impossible. First you need to satisfy the following prerequisites:

  • install xquartz. You can also install xquartz using homebrew by running brew cask install xquartz
  • install socat brew install socat

Note, you will have to log out and log back in to your machine once you have installed xquartz. This is so the X window system is reloaded.

Once you have installed all the prerequisites you need to allow connections from network clients to xquartz. Here is how you do that. First run the following command to open xquart so you can configure it:

open -a xquartz

Click on Security tab in preferences and check the “Allow connections” box:

app image app image

Next, you need to create a TCP proxy using socat which will stream X Window data into xquart. Before you start the proxy you need to make sure that there is no process listening in port 6000. The following command should not return any results:

lsof -i TCP:6000

Now you can start a local proxy which will proxy the X Window traffic into xquartz which acts a your local X server:

socat TCP-LISTEN:6000,reuseaddr,fork UNIX-CLIENT:\"$DISPLAY\"

You are now finally ready to run your GoCV GUI programs in Docker containers. In order to make everything work you must set DISPLAY environment variables as shown in a sample command below:

docker run -it --rm -e DISPLAY=docker.for.mac.host.internal:0 your-gocv-app

Note, since Docker for MacOS does not provide any video device support, you won’t be able run GoCV apps which require camera.