Devilbox: Using symlinks for htdocs

[normance]

Hi,

I'm using devilbox on MacOs 10.10.5 + Docker 17.06.0-ce for Mac + docker-compose 1.14.0
While docker doc ( https://docs.docker.com/docker-for-mac/osxfs/#namespaces ) states that /Volumes/... is available in containers, when I run devilbox ./bash.sh I do not see /Volumes (nor /Users /private).

This prevent usage of symlinks under ./data/www/my-project
ln -s /Volumes/repo/gitRepoOfMyCode/www htdocs
once into php container this link is broken

What I did to solve this issue:
A) in .env, I add:

  HOST_PATH_HTTPD_SYMLINK=/Volumes/repo

B) in docker.compose.yml, I add those 2 lines:

  # Mount volumes related to ln -s htdocs
  - ${HOST_PATH_HTTPD_SYMLINK}:${HOST_PATH_HTTPD_SYMLINK}:cached

under those two sections: 
httpd.volumes and php.volumes (in addition to the ${HOST_PATH_HTTPD_DATADIR} usage )

It works now :)

I am not proud of this duplicate into docker.compose.yml and even worse having modified this file but it is the only easy way I found using ln -s for htdocs when project code is on a separate volume.

Maybe I should use docker.compose.yml volumes like suggested by https://www.baptiste-donaux.fr/tutoriel-symfony-docker-compose-v2/ but this is my very first Docker usage... up to you to decide :)

Note: I did try first setting HOST_PATH_HTTPD_DATADIR to /Volumes/repo/gitRepoOfMyCode (instead of ./data/www) but since /Volumes is not mounted in the container, this does not help.

[cytopia]

Hi @normance,

thanks for the detailed description.

I am currently not on a Mac, but I remember, that you have to explicitly allow directories outside your home dir to be mounted in the Docker settings itself. I think it defaults to your user's home dir. Could you check that please.

[cytopia]

This is where you need to specify your volumes/directories that are allowed to be mounted:

https://docs.docker.com/docker-for-mac/#file-sharing

[normance]

Thanks for the quick reply :)

You are right, the Docker doc says so.

The file sharing option list 4 directories (/Users, /Volumes, /tmp, /private) that can be easily mounted but I do not have access to the commande line:

   docker run -v /Volumes/repo:/Volumes/repo:cached  ...

since it is handled by devilbox; so I don't know how to configure this mounting elsewhere that in the docker.compose.yml

[cytopia]

Note: I did try first setting HOST_PATH_HTTPD_DATADIR to /Volume/repo/gitRepoOfMyCode (instead of ./data/www) but since /Volumes is not mounted in the container, this does not help.

When you allowed /Volumes as a mountpoint in the Docker settings and have set HOST_PATH_HTTPD_DATADIR=/Volumes (in .env), it should be mounted as /shared/httpd.

Could you check on that please.

[normance]

I have done a fresh install of both Docker for Mac and of your git repo

Into Docker for Mac, the ready to mount volumes are:

Into .env
### Local filesystem path to www projects.
###
#HOST_PATH_HTTPD_DATADIR=./data/www
HOST_PATH_HTTPD_DATADIR=/Volumes/repo/gitRepoOfMyCode

And the problem is fixed since I can see the content of gitRepoOfMyCode under /shared/httpd
Sorry for that ticket, but yesterday the behaviour was not that one. Fresh install helps sometime

BTW: thanks for Percona, it is the one I was expected but I did not want to bother you with that request

[cytopia]

Cool. :-)

You should probably just use the upper folder for mounts:

HOST_PATH_HTTPD_DATADIR=/Volumes/repo/

If the repo directory contains multiple projects.

Btw, could I use your screenshot for documentation purposes?

[normance]

yes this is what I have done, I get more ERR into http://127.0.0.1/vhosts.php since all repos does not have htdocs entry, but I can live with that :)

Please use the screenshot as you need

[lbngoc]

In my case, I often save my projects to /home/ngoclb/projects, so I create another environment variable called HOST_PATH_REAL_DATADIR and move to containers. It make htdocs can follow symlinks without get multiple ERR in http://localhost/vhosts.php

In .env:

HOST_PATH_HTTPD_DATADIR=./data/www
HOST_PATH_REAL_DATADIR=/home/ngoclb/projects

In docker-compose.yml:

... # line 184
      # Mount custom mass virtual hosting
      # (configured in /etc/${HTTPD_SERVER}/02-vhost-mass.conf)
      - ${HOST_PATH_HTTPD_DATADIR}:/shared/httpd
      - ${HOST_PATH_REAL_DATADIR}:${HOST_PATH_REAL_DATADIR}
...
# line 261
      # Mount custom mass virtual hosting
      # (configured in /etc/${HTTPD_SERVER}/02-vhost-mass.conf)
      - ${HOST_PATH_HTTPD_DATADIR}:/shared/httpd:ro
      - ${HOST_PATH_REAL_DATADIR}:${HOST_PATH_REAL_DATADIR}:ro
...

After restart container, docker can follow symlinks like this:

ngoclb at NgocLB-T440 in ~/devilbox/data/www/ngoclb
$ ls -la
total 8
drwxr-xr-x 2 ngoclb ngoclb 4096 Aug 12 17:51 .
drwxr-xr-x 3 ngoclb ngoclb 4096 Aug 12 17:47 ..
lrwxrwxrwx 1 ngoclb ngoclb   50 Aug 12 17:51 htdocs -> /home/ngoclb/projects/ngoclb.com/public_html

Hope this help !

[cytopia]

@lbngoc

Thanks for the information. As you seem to be using Linux it should be much easier for you to accomplish the same:

In .env:

HOST_PATH_HTTPD_DATADIR=/home/ngoclb/projects

In your ngoclb project folder:

ngoclb at NgocLB-T440 in /home/ngoclb/projects/ngoclb
$ ls -la
total 8
drwxr-xr-x 2 ngoclb ngoclb 4096 Aug 12 17:51 .
drwxr-xr-x 3 ngoclb ngoclb 4096 Aug 12 17:47 ..
drwxr-xr-x 3 ngoclb ngoclb 4096 Aug 12 17:47 public_html
lrwxrwxrwx 1 ngoclb ngoclb   50 Aug 12 17:51 htdocs -> public_html
...

[lbngoc]

@cytopia

devilbox is actually good but I don't like use HOST_PATH_HTTPD_DATADIR inside my working space folder (projects), because it will scan all my children project folders and put multiple error on page http://localhost/vhosts.php

Example my data/www:
www
├── ngoclb
│   └── htdocs -> /home/ngoclb/projects/private/ngoclb.com/public_html
└── abc
│   └── htdocs -> /home/ngoclb/projects/working/abc/public_html
└── xyz
│   └── htdocs -> /home/ngoclb/projects/working/xyz/public_html

[cytopia]

@lbngoc I see what you mean now. Still good solution you have provided.

[pedrosanta]

That's a nice solution @lbngoc, but changing/editing the docker-compose.yml seems too radical IMO, if you need to update devilbox and such.

There's the possibility of using a docker-compose.override.yml with docker compose, that will override/add/augment config to the docker-compose.yml. Maybe we can add this docker-compose.override.yml to .gitignore and have that real data dir config cleanly separated from devilbox files?

[pedrosanta]

Amazing, got a neat solution for this.

Just added my docker-compose.override.yml as such:

version: '2.1'
services:
  php:
    volumes:
      - $HOME:$HOME
  httpd:
    volumes:
      - $HOME:$HOME

... and now I can safely symlink to anything inside my home folder (if one needs to symlink outside home folder just adjust this as YMMV). Doing this now works:

./data/www/wp-sandbox $ ln -s ~/Documents/Code/wordpress-sandbox htdocs

🎉 🚀

I'll add a PR adding docker-compose.override.yml to .gitignore.