How to share folders with docker containers on OSX

docker-osx-shared-folders.rst

How to share a folder with a docker container on OSX

Mounting shared folders between OSX and the docker container is tricky due to the intermediate boot2docker VM. You can't use the usual docker -v option as the docker server knows nothing about the OSX filesystem - it can only mount folders from the boot2docker filesystem. Fortunately, you can work around this using SSHFS.

Install sshfs on the boot2docker machine:

$ boot2docker ssh
docker@boot2docker:~$ tce-load -wi sshfs-fuse

and create a folder to mount to:

docker@boot2docker:~$ mkdir ~/osx

Ensure that 'Remote Login' is enabled in 'System Preferences > Sharing' and make a note of your host IP address.

Now run sshfs on the boot2docker VM to mount a folder from your host machine:

docker@boot2docker:~$ sudo sshfs $username@$ipaddress:/Users/$username/ /home/docker/osx/

replacing $username and $ipaddress as appropriate. You'll have to enter your password.

Now you can run a docker container (using the docker client on your host machine) and mount a local folder (using the path to it on the boot2docker VM), eg:

$ docker run -it -v /home/docker/osx/somefolder:/opt/somefolder ubuntu bash

and any updates made within your local folder will be immediately visible within the container.

Largely taken from the comments here: https://github.com/boot2docker/boot2docker/issues/188

It's worth noting here that if you're ssh'd into the boot2docker VM as the docker user, after running the sshfs command above if you try and ls -la on the docker home dir to test that your mount worked you won't have access:

docker@boot2docker:~$ ll /home/docker/
ls: /home/docker/osx: Permission denied
total 4
----------    1 docker   staff           29 Jan  1  1970 boot2docker, please format-me

So if you sudo -s you'll get some love:

docker@boot2docker:~$ sudo -s
root@boot2docker:/home/docker# ls -la
total 20
drwxr-sr-x    5 docker   staff          180 Jun 13 10:26 . 
drwxrwxr-x    3 root     staff           60 Jun 13 10:26 ..
-rw-rw-r--    1 docker   staff          307 Jun 13 10:50 .ash_history
-rw-r--r--    1 docker   staff          446 Jun 13 10:26 .ashrc
drwxr-sr-x    3 docker   staff           60 Jun 13 10:26 .local
-rw-r--r--    1 docker   staff          920 Jun 13 10:26 .profile
drwx--S---    2 docker   staff           80 Jan  1  1970 .ssh
----------    1 docker   staff           29 Jan  1  1970 boot2docker, please format-me
drwxrwxr-x    1 10133    10000         2006 Jun 13 10:46 osx

The permissions on the mounted folder are sweet as for mounting it as a volume with docker though.

Party time.

It's worth noting here that if you're ssh'd into the boot2docker VM as the docker user, after running the sshfs command above if you try and ls -la on the docker home dir to test that your mount worked you won't have access:

docker@boot2docker:~$ ll /home/docker/
ls: /home/docker/osx: Permission denied
total 4
----------    1 docker   staff           29 Jan  1  1970 boot2docker, please format-me

So if you sudo -s you'll get some love:

docker@boot2docker:~$ sudo -s
root@boot2docker:/home/docker# ls -la
total 20
drwxr-sr-x    5 docker   staff          180 Jun 13 10:26 . 
drwxrwxr-x    3 root     staff           60 Jun 13 10:26 ..
-rw-rw-r--    1 docker   staff          307 Jun 13 10:50 .ash_history
-rw-r--r--    1 docker   staff          446 Jun 13 10:26 .ashrc
drwxr-sr-x    3 docker   staff           60 Jun 13 10:26 .local
-rw-r--r--    1 docker   staff          920 Jun 13 10:26 .profile
drwx--S---    2 docker   staff           80 Jan  1  1970 .ssh
----------    1 docker   staff           29 Jan  1  1970 boot2docker, please format-me
drwxrwxr-x    1 10133    10000         2006 Jun 13 10:46 osx

The permissions on the mounted folder are sweet as for mounting it as a volume with docker though.

Party time.

for whatever reason, i am not able to ssh back to my host machine. i do have ssh enabled there, and in os x, i'm able to ssh to localhost. trying to ssh back to my host machine's IP address on vboxnet0 leaves ssh in a "connecting" state. telnet 22 also seems to hang in a connecting state. not sure what's going on. any ideas?

for whatever reason, i am not able to ssh back to my host machine. i do have ssh enabled there, and in os x, i'm able to ssh to localhost. trying to ssh back to my host machine's IP address on vboxnet0 leaves ssh in a "connecting" state. telnet 22 also seems to hang in a connecting state. not sure what's going on. any ideas?

Works as promised.

Works as promised.

note: boot2docker automatically mounts /Users now this solution isn't needed anymore. just go into boot2docker instance and ls /Users

note: boot2docker automatically mounts /Users now this solution isn't needed anymore. just go into boot2docker instance and ls /Users

+1 @crucialfelix - thank you!

+1 @crucialfelix - thank you!

Thanks @crucialfelix - I was able to mount quickly like this:

run -it -v /Users:/Users imagename bash

Thanks @crucialfelix - I was able to mount quickly like this:

run -it -v /Users:/Users imagename bash

Hi all,

I got an
read: Connection reset by peer

when i enter my password any ideas ?

Thx

Hi all,

I got an
read: Connection reset by peer

when i enter my password any ideas ?

Thx

Is the information provided by @crucialfelix still true? We are trying to set this up on a mac, but /Users is definitely not mounted.

Is the information provided by @crucialfelix still true? We are trying to set this up on a mac, but /Users is definitely not mounted.

Make sure you're running the latest boot2docker v1.7.0

Make sure you're running the latest boot2docker v1.7.0

tce-load -wi sshfs-fuse Produces the following error for me :(

Downloading: sshfs-fuse.tcz
Connecting to repo.tinycorelinux.net (89.22.99.37:80)
wget: server returned error: HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found
md5sum: sshfs-fuse.tcz.md5.txt: No such file or directory
Error on sshfs-fuse.tcz

tce-load -wi sshfs-fuse Produces the following error for me :(

Downloading: sshfs-fuse.tcz
Connecting to repo.tinycorelinux.net (89.22.99.37:80)
wget: server returned error: HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found
md5sum: sshfs-fuse.tcz.md5.txt: No such file or directory
Error on sshfs-fuse.tcz

Has same issue:

docker@default:~$ tce-load -wi sshfs-fuse

Downloading: sshfs-fuse.tcz
Connecting to repo.tinycorelinux.net (89.22.99.37:80)
wget: server returned error: HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found
md5sum: sshfs-fuse.tcz.md5.txt: No such file or directory
Error on sshfs-fuse.tcz

Maybe because I have latest versions:

Boot2Docker version 1.8.1, build master : 7f12e95
Docker version 1.8.1, build d12ea79

Has same issue:

docker@default:~$ tce-load -wi sshfs-fuse

Downloading: sshfs-fuse.tcz
Connecting to repo.tinycorelinux.net (89.22.99.37:80)
wget: server returned error: HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found
md5sum: sshfs-fuse.tcz.md5.txt: No such file or directory
Error on sshfs-fuse.tcz

Maybe because I have latest versions:

Boot2Docker version 1.8.1, build master : 7f12e95
Docker version 1.8.1, build d12ea79

sudo sshfs -o allow_other user@myserver:/home/user/myprojects ~/mount/myprojects

need add allow_other, or noroot user cant have permissio

sudo sshfs -o allow_other user@myserver:/home/user/myprojects ~/mount/myprojects

need add allow_other, or noroot user cant have permissio

but when i restart boot2docker ,
sshfs : command not found
why?

but when i restart boot2docker ,
sshfs : command not found
why?

@codeinthehole it's still necessary or the new docker-machine provide it? I'm trying to get hot-reload (NodeJS) with PM2 or Nodemon. Cheers!

@codeinthehole it's still necessary or the new docker-machine provide it? I'm trying to get hot-reload (NodeJS) with PM2 or Nodemon. Cheers!

404 for the sshfs-fuse install here as well. Getting a bit irritated by how much work this is, simply to get a folder mounted

404 for the sshfs-fuse install here as well. Getting a bit irritated by how much work this is, simply to get a folder mounted

Isn't this page to be updated?

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/30040708/how-to-mount-local-volumes-in-docker-machine/32030385#32030385

or this

https://medium.com/@brentkearney/docker-on-mac-os-x-9793ac024e94#.evbpfdfv6

Isn't this page to be updated?

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/30040708/how-to-mount-local-volumes-in-docker-machine/32030385#32030385

or this

https://medium.com/@brentkearney/docker-on-mac-os-x-9793ac024e94#.evbpfdfv6

With native OSX app, it can be done easily as follows,

To pull a new docker image (optional step)
docker pull ubuntu

Make volume share as below,
docker run -t -i -v $(pwd):/home/shared ubuntu /bin/bash

With native OSX app, it can be done easily as follows,

To pull a new docker image (optional step)
docker pull ubuntu

Make volume share as below,
docker run -t -i -v $(pwd):/home/shared ubuntu /bin/bash

Agreed this worked for me
docker run -it -v /Volumes/volname:/volname image-id /bin/bash

Agreed this worked for me
docker run -it -v /Volumes/volname:/volname image-id /bin/bash

How about mounting a volume from a different docker-machine to a local docker host? Such as a docker-machine running in digitalocean droplet to my macbook?

How about mounting a volume from a different docker-machine to a local docker host? Such as a docker-machine running in digitalocean droplet to my macbook?

Thanks @fyddaben @codeinthehole: it works for me

Thanks @fyddaben @codeinthehole: it works for me

Hi Guys, I did the inverse and worked faster with less steps to get it working:

https://github.com/DanZeuss/DockerOnMacOS

Hi Guys, I did the inverse and worked faster with less steps to get it working:

https://github.com/DanZeuss/DockerOnMacOS