Docker / Podman

Local spaces in knot can be defined using Docker or Podman templates. These templates specify the environment users will work within and can include optional volume definitions.

When a user creates an instance of a Template (a Space) and starts it, knot automatically provisions any required volumes and launches the container on the local machine. Local containers operate with Docker or Podman running on the same machine as the knot server.

Container Specification

To create a Docker or Podman template:

Navigate to Templates and select New Template.
Complete the form, selecting Docker or Podman under the Platform option.
Fill out the Container Specification field with the container configuration.

Example Container Specification

container_name: ${{ .user.username }}-${{ .space.name }}
hostname: "${{ .space.name }}"
image: ${{.var.registry_url}}/knot-ubuntu:24.04
auth:
  username: "${{.var.registry_user}}"
  password: "${{.var.registry_pass}}"
ports:
  - 8080:80/tcp
volumes:
  - /home/example:/myhome
  - volume1:/volume1

#cap_add:
#  - CAP_AUDIT_WRITE

#cap_drop:
#  - CAP_MKNOD

#devices:
#  - "/dev/ttyUSB0:/dev/ttyUSB0"

#command: [
#  "./knot",
#  "server"
#]

privileged: true
#network: host # or none

environment:
  - "TZ=${{.user.timezone}}"
  - "KNOT_LOGLEVEL=debug"
  - "KNOT_SERVER=${{.server.url}}"
  - "KNOT_AGENT_ENDPOINT=${{.server.agent_endpoint}}"
  - "KNOT_SPACEID=${{.space.id}}"
  - "KNOT_SSH_PORT=22"
  - "KNOT_HTTP_PORT=80=Site"
  - "KNOT_SERVICE_PASSWORD=${{.user.service_password}}"
  - "KNOT_VNC_HTTP_PORT=5680"
  - "KNOT_CODE_SERVER_PORT=49374"
  - "KNOT_VSCODE_TUNNEL=vscodetunnel"
  - "KNOT_USER=${{.user.username}}"

Using Template Variables

Template variables can store sensitive information or information that may need to be updated in all templates, such as registry login credentials. For example:

image: ${{.var.registry_url}}/knot-ubuntu:24.04
auth:
  username: "${{.var.registry_user}}"
  password: "${{.var.registry_pass}}"

Notes:

Ports: The ports section is optional. It is only required if the ports need to be accessed directly, rather than through knot.
Environment Variables: Environment variables can be used to pass dynamic information, such as user details, server URLs, and space-specific configurations.

Volumes

Templates can define volumes to persist data for spaces. These volumes are created when the space is deployed and destroyed when the space is deleted. Starting and stopping the space does not affect the contents of the volumes unless the template is modified to remove a volume.

Example Volume Definition

volumes:
  volume1:

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