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Show HN: Slim – Build and run tiny VMs from Dockerfiles

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Re: Show HN: Slim – Build and run tiny VMs from Dockerfiles

#51

Post by teilo »

aiCeivi9 wrote: post #40
RyanShook wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So why was Docker needed to create a lightweight VM? I thought Docker was supposed to replace VMs.

Working with VM images was PITA, I don't know if anything changed. Having recipe (Dockerfile) and required files in VCS is useful as reference even when setting up bare metal machines. So Docker (and Puppet/Ansible) might have bigger impact on work organisation than on anything else.

It's not such a PITA anymore. Most distros have automated build systems to create VM images from a config file. For example, we use FAI + Ansible to entirely automate the creation of a Debian AMIs for AWS, deployment, and provisioning.

Re: Show HN: Slim – Build and run tiny VMs from Dockerfiles

#52

Post by pas »

mfatica wrote: post #30
oblio wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What for? It's just glue code, it doesn't actually run the micro-VMs.

Because I don't want to have to install the massive nodejs runtime just to glue things together.

Run this in a docker env then?

docker run -it --entrypoint /bin/sh -v $PWD:/bla -v /run/docker.sock:/run/docker.sock node:12

apk add git docker cdrkit libvirt-daemon qemu-system-x86_64

npm install https://github.com/ottomatica/slim

cd /bla && /node_modules/.bin/slim

Re: Show HN: Slim – Build and run tiny VMs from Dockerfiles

#54

Post by [deleted] »

RyanShook wrote: post #31
dharmab wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Docker images contain a filesystem for an operating system, minus the OS kernel. This project uses Docker to build a tiny OS, extracts all the files out of the Docker image, adds a small OS kernel and re-packages that as a VM image.

So why was Docker needed to create a lightweight VM? I thought Docker was supposed to replace VMs.

[deleted]

Re: Show HN: Slim – Build and run tiny VMs from Dockerfiles

#55

Post by teilo »

mfatica wrote: post #30
oblio wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What for? It's just glue code, it doesn't actually run the micro-VMs.

Because I don't want to have to install the massive nodejs runtime just to glue things together.

This is not even remotely a concern for any enterprise that would use this. Fretting over this is like fretting over the gas left in the nozzle when you fill your car.

Re: Show HN: Slim – Build and run tiny VMs from Dockerfiles

#56

Post by gjmacd »

lwb wrote: post #50

Wait a minute. I thought Docker was useful because you didn't want to run a whole VM. But this project turns a Dockerfile into a VM specification? Have we come full circle?

I was also thinking the same thing. I also think that the prior person wanting to SSH into their docker instance hasn't quite grasped that you can already do that.

I'm not sure what the value of this is.

Re: Show HN: Slim – Build and run tiny VMs from Dockerfiles

#57

Post by gmuslera »

aiCeivi9 wrote: post #40
RyanShook wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So why was Docker needed to create a lightweight VM? I thought Docker was supposed to replace VMs.

Working with VM images was PITA, I don't know if anything changed. Having recipe (Dockerfile) and required files in VCS is useful as reference even when setting up bare metal machines. So Docker (and Puppet/Ansible) might have bigger impact on work organisation than on anything else.

You still have the Dockerfile and the required files in a VCS, but now what you have running is a full VM instead of a somewhat isolated process sharing kernel with other containers.

So far so good, for individual/standalone containers. But if you need thightly integrated containers (sharing networks, volumes, ports and so on) things may be a bit more complicated. And not sure about Kubernetes. YMMV

Re: Show HN: Slim – Build and run tiny VMs from Dockerfiles

#58

Post by pas »

cbluth wrote: post #46
ph0rque wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Forgive my lack of technical depth, but is it actually running client-side, in the memory allocated to my newly-opened browser tab, or on bellard.org's server and syncing the input/output to my browser?

Technical depth? Did you click the link? > Run Linux or other Operating Systems in your browser! It runs in your browser. If you clicked the link you would also see demo links that run in your browser.

No need to be abrasive, many companies offer things "in your browser" yet they merely send you the frontend and instruct your browser to connect to their backend.

Such as gaming SaaS thingies.

Re: Show HN: Slim – Build and run tiny VMs from Dockerfiles

#59

Post by tracker1 »

mfatica wrote: post #30
oblio wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What for? It's just glue code, it doesn't actually run the micro-VMs.

Because I don't want to have to install the massive nodejs runtime just to glue things together.

I'm just curious what you feel about Java, .Net, Python and Ruby? Ruby is a hair smaller, but the others are actually bigger than the NodeJS runtime, with .Net and Java being significantly bigger.

Or, do you only run software hand crafted in assembly?

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