Skip to content

Docker Installation🔗

DSX-Connect runs in containers.
To run it locally or deploy it to Kubernetes, you need a working Docker environment.

This page explains your platform options — and our recommendations.

🧭 Production vs Development🔗

Production Guidance

Docker Desktop is not recommended for production workloads.
Production DSX-Connect deployments should run on Linux hosts or Kubernetes nodes using native container runtimes.

Development Guidance

macOS and Windows require a lightweight Linux VM to run containers.
Docker Desktop is the fastest way to get started, but alternatives exist.

On Linux, Docker runs natively.
There is no hidden virtual machine and no additional overhead.

Official installation guide:

https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/

Supported distributions include:

  • Ubuntu
  • Debian
  • RHEL / Rocky / Alma
  • Fedora
  • SLES

Best Choice for DSX-Connect

Native Linux Docker is:

  • Familiarity - no additional learning curve for many developers/DevOps teams
  • Ideal for some prodcution deployments (see caveat below)
  • Easy to install and upgrade
  • Ideal for CI/CD runners
  • Lower overhead than Desktop variants

After installation validation:

docker version
docker run hello-world

Production Caveat

While Docker Engine on Linux is appropriate for lightweight production use, most enterprise deployments of DSX-Connect should use Kubernetes.

For larger-scale, high-availability, or horizontally scaled environments, Kubernetes provides better orchestration, resiliency, and lifecycle management.

🍎 macOS (Development Only)🔗

Docker does not run natively on macOS. It always runs inside a lightweight Linux VM.

You have two solid options.

Project page:

https://github.com/abiosoft/colima

Colima uses Lima + containerd to provide a lightweight Docker-compatible runtime.

Best Choice for DSX-Connect on Mac

Colima is:

  • Ideal for development
  • Lightweight and easy to install
  • Easy to switch between Linux distributions
  • Lightweight Kubernetes (k3s) built-in - so you can test Kubernetes deployments locally

Pros🔗

  • Lower resource usage
  • Fully open-source
  • No Docker Desktop licensing concerns
  • Excellent CLI experience

Cons🔗

  • No GUI dashboard
  • Slightly more manual setup

Tip

If you prefer lightweight tooling and minimal overhead, Colima is an excellent choice for DSX-Connect development.

Option 2 — Docker Desktop (Fastest Setup)🔗

Official install guide:

https://docs.docker.com/desktop/install/mac-install/

Pros🔗

  • Simple installation
  • GUI dashboard
  • Optional built-in Kubernetes
  • Automatic VM lifecycle management

Cons🔗

  • Higher memory usage
  • Licensing considerations in some organizations
  • Hidden VM layer

Note

For most developers evaluating DSX-Connect, this is the quickest path.

🪟 Windows (Development Only)🔗

Docker does not run natively on Windows. It requires WSL2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux).

Official guide:

https://docs.docker.com/desktop/install/windows-install/

Requirements🔗

  • Windows 10/11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education
  • WSL2 enabled

Docker Desktop integrates with:

  • Windows Terminal
  • PowerShell
  • VS Code

Note

Docker Desktop on Windows runs containers inside WSL2. You are effectively running Linux containers inside a managed Linux environment.

Advanced Option — Manual WSL2 + Docker Engine🔗

Advanced users may:

  1. Install WSL2
  2. Install Ubuntu (or similar)
  3. Install Docker Engine directly inside WSL

This avoids Docker Desktop but requires more configuration.

🚫 Why We Do Not Recommend Docker Desktop for Production🔗

Docker Desktop is designed for developer workstations, not servers.

Reasons:

  • Runs inside a VM
  • Adds additional resource overhead
  • Not designed for high-availability workloads
  • Licensing constraints in enterprise environments
  • Not appropriate for Kubernetes production nodes

Warning

Do not deploy DSX-Connect production workloads on Docker Desktop.

For production:

  • Use Linux hosts
  • Use Kubernetes clusters
  • Use native container runtimes (Docker Engine, containerd)

☸️ Relationship to Kubernetes & Helm🔗

DSX-Connect production deployments use Helm charts and Kubernetes.

In that model:

  • Containers run on Linux nodes
  • Networking is handled by Kubernetes Services
  • Container runtime is native (Docker or containerd)
  • No Desktop VM layer exists

Your local Docker setup simply simulates:

Developer Machine → Containers → DSX-Connect

Production architecture looks like:

Kubernetes Cluster
    ├── DSX-Connect API Pods
    ├── Worker Pods
    ├── Redis
    └── (Optional) DSXA Scanner

Tip

If your goal is production parity, Linux + Kubernetes is the closest match to real deployments.

📊 Platform Comparison🔗

Platform Native Containers Recommended Intended Use
Linux Yes Docker Engine Production, CI/CD, Kubernetes
macOS No Docker Desktop or Colima Development
Windows No Docker Desktop (WSL2) Development

✅ Verify Your Installation🔗

After installing Docker:

docker version
docker run hello-world

Both commands must succeed before running DSX-Connect.

If Docker is not fully operational, DSX-Connect containers will fail to start.