Create Dockerfile and Container using Visual Studio

 Visual Studio provides an option to automatically add Docker support. Using Visual Studio we can add the Dockerfile to a project without having to manually create one. Visual Studio will create the Dockerfile with the commands pre-populated based on the type of project, we create. 

In this post, we will create a Console application using .Net Core and use Visual Studio to automatically create the Dockerfile for the Project. First, let us create the following Console application.

Now Right-click the project and select Add -> Docker Support 
This will automatically add the Docker file to the project.

It will automatically build the image and run the container. You can see the following in the Output window.

========== Checking for Container Prerequisites ==========

Verifying that Docker Desktop is installed...

Docker Desktop is installed.

========== Verifying that Docker Desktop is running... ==========

Verifying that Docker Desktop is running...

Docker Desktop is running.

========== Verifying Docker OS ==========

Verifying that Docker Desktop's operating system mode matches the project's target operating system...

Docker Desktop's operating system mode matches the project's target operating system.

========== Pulling Required Images ==========

Checking for missing Docker images...

Pulling Docker images. To cancel this download, close the command prompt window.

docker pull mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/core/sdk:3.1-nanoserver-1803

docker pull mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/core/runtime:3.1-nanoserver-1803

Docker images are ready.

========== Warming up container(s) for HelloExe ==========

Starting up container(s)...

docker build -f "C:\HelloExe\Dockerfile" --force-rm -t helloexe:dev --target base  --label "com.microsoft.created-by=visual-studio" --label "com.microsoft.visual-studio.project-name=HelloExe" "C:\HelloExe"

Sending build context to Docker daemon  191.5kB

 

Step 1/4 : FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/core/runtime:3.1-nanoserver-1803 AS base

 ---> 62417917ad5b

Step 2/4 : WORKDIR /app

 ---> Running in 45f734a470b8

Removing intermediate container 45f734a470b8

 ---> b27ded1dbccc

Step 3/4 : LABEL com.microsoft.created-by=visual-studio

 ---> Running in f08b41865eb4

Removing intermediate container f08b41865eb4

 ---> 6abbdf297296

Step 4/4 : LABEL com.microsoft.visual-studio.project-name=HelloExe

 ---> Running in 403ead431b79

Removing intermediate container 403ead431b79

 ---> ef50f6c97d6e

Successfully built ef50f6c97d6e

Successfully tagged helloexe:dev

docker run -dt -v "C:\Users\PBaskar\onecoremsvsmon\16.4.0068.0:C:\remote_debugger:ro" -v "C:\HelloExe:C:\app" -v "C:\HelloExe:C:\src" -v "C:\Users\PBaskar\.nuget\packages\:c:\.nuget\fallbackpackages2" -v "C:\Program Files\dotnet\sdk\NuGetFallbackFolder:c:\.nuget\fallbackpackages" -e "DOTNET_USE_POLLING_FILE_WATCHER=1" -e "NUGET_PACKAGES=c:\.nuget\fallbackpackages2" -e "NUGET_FALLBACK_PACKAGES=c:\.nuget\fallbackpackages;c:\.nuget\fallbackpackages2" --name HelloExe --entrypoint C:\remote_debugger\x64\msvsmon.exe helloexe:dev /noauth /anyuser /silent /nostatus /noclrwarn /nosecuritywarn /nofirewallwarn /nowowwarn /fallbackloadremotemanagedpdbs /timeout:2147483646 /LogDebuggeeOutputToStdOut

40976ca087f6a8acc0a8037310b043f5d52b728409df87b28315f6f87ca36a5e

Container started successfully.

========== Finished ==========

That’s it the Docker image is built and run to create the Docker container. To make sure that the container is running, run the commands

C:\>docker image ls
REPOSITORY         TAG                   IMAGE ID            CREATED             SIZE
helloexe           dev                   ef50f6c97d6e        10 minutes ago      448MB

C:\>docker container ls
CONTAINER ID        IMAGE               CREATED                           STATUS              PORTS               NAMES
40976ca087f6        helloexe:dev     10 minutes ago      Up 10 minutes                                  HelloExe

We can view the running Docker Container in the Docker Desktop dashboard as follows.