Dataverse Application Image

The application image is a layer on top of the base image and contains the Dataverse software.

An “application image” offers you a deployment ready Dataverse application running on the underlying application server, which is provided by the Application Base Image. Its sole purpose is to bundle the application and any additional material necessary to successfully jumpstart the application.

Until all JVM Options are MicroProfile Config enabled, it also adds the necessary scripting glue to configure the applications domain during booting the application server. See Tunables.

Within the main repository, you may find the application image’s files at <git root>/src/main/docker. This is the same Maven module providing a Dataverse WAR file for classic installations, and uses the Maven Docker Plugin to build and ship the image within a special Maven profile.

NOTE: This image is created, maintained and supported by the Dataverse community on a best-effort basis. IQSS will not offer you support how to deploy or run it, please reach out to the community for help on using it. You might be interested in taking a look at Docker, Kubernetes, and Containers, linking you to some (community-based) efforts.

Supported Image Tags

This image is sourced from the main upstream code repository of the Dataverse software. Development and maintenance of the image’s code happens there (again, by the community). Community-supported image tags are based on the two most important upstream branches:

The unstable tag corresponds to the develop branch, where pull requests are merged. (Dockerfile)
The alpha tag corresponds to the master branch, where releases are cut from. (Dockerfile)

Image Contents

The application image builds by convention upon the base image and provides:

Dataverse class files
Resource files
Dependency JAR files
JHove configuration
Script to configure the application server domain for JVM Options not yet MicroProfile Config enabled.

The image is provided as a multi-arch image to support the most common architectures Dataverse usually runs on: AMD64 (Windows/Linux/…) and ARM64 (Apple M1/M2). (Easy to extend.)

Build Instructions

Assuming you have Docker, Docker Desktop, Moby or some remote Docker host configured, up and running from here on.

Simply execute the Maven modules packaging target with activated “container” profile from the projects Git root to compile the Java code and build the image:

mvn -Pct clean package

Some additional notes, using Maven parameters to change the build and use …:

… a different tag only: add -Dapp.image.tag=tag.

Note: default is unstable
… a different image name and tag: add -Dapp.image=name:tag.

Note: default is gdcc/dataverse:${app.image.tag}
… a different image registry than Docker Hub: add -Ddocker.registry=registry.example.org (see also DMP docs on registries)
… a different base image tag: add -Dbase.image.tag=tag

Note: default is unstable
… a different base image: add -Dbase.image=name:tag

Note: default is gdcc/base:${base.image.tag}. See also Application Base Image for more details on it.

Automated Builds & Publishing

See note above at “Supported Image Tags”.

Processor Architecture and Multiarch

This image is created as a “multi-arch image”, supporting the most common architectures Dataverse usually runs on: AMD64 (Windows/Linux/…) and ARM64 (Apple M1/M2), by using Maven Docker Plugin’s BuildX mode.

Building the image via mvn -Pct package or mvn -Pct install as above will only build for the architecture of the Docker machine’s CPU.

Only mvn -Pct clean deploy -Ddocker.platforms=linux/amd64,linux/arm64 will trigger building on all enabled architectures. Yet, to enable building with non-native code on your build machine, you will need to setup a cross-platform builder.

On Linux, you should install qemu-user-static (preferably via your package management) on the host and run docker run --rm --privileged multiarch/qemu-user-static --reset -p yes to enable that builder. The Docker plugin will setup everything else for you.

Tunables

The Application Base Image provides a long list of possible options to tune many aspects of the application server, and, as the application image builds upon it, Base Image Tunables apply to it as well.

In addition, the application image provides the following tunables:

Env. variable	Default	Type	Description
`MP_CONFIG_PROFILE`	`ct`	String	Set to switch the activated MicroProfile Config Profile. Note that certain defaults will not apply any longer. See Application Server Settings for details.
`dataverse_` and `doi_`	-	String	Configure any JVM Options not yet MicroProfile Config enabled with this magic trick. Simply pick a JVM option from the list and replace any `.` with `_`. Replace any `-` in the option name with `__`.

Env. variable

Default

Type

Description

MP_CONFIG_PROFILE

ct

String

Set to switch the activated MicroProfile Config Profile. Note that certain defaults will not apply any longer. See Application Server Settings for details.

dataverse_* and doi_*

String

Configure any JVM Options not yet MicroProfile Config enabled with this magic trick.

Simply pick a JVM option from the list and replace any . with _.
Replace any - in the option name with __.

Note that the script init_2_configure.sh will apply a few very important defaults to enable quick usage by a) activating the scheduled tasks timer, b) add local file storage if not disabled, and c) a sensible password reset timeout:

dataverse_auth_password__reset__timeout__in__minutes=60
dataverse_timerServer=true
dataverse_files_storage__driver__id=local

if dataverse_files_storage__driver__id = "local" then
    dataverse_files_local_type=file
    dataverse_files_local_label=Local
    dataverse_files_local_directory=${STORAGE_DIR}/store

Locations

There are only a few important additions to the list of locations by the base image. Please make sure to back these locations with volumes or tmpfs to avoid writing data into the overlay filesystem, which will significantly hurt performance.

Location	Value	Description
`${STORAGE_DIR}`	`/dv`	Defined by base image. Either back this folder or, if suitable, the locations below it with volumes or tmpfs.
`${STORAGE_DIR}/uploads`	`/dv/uploads`	See dataverse.files.uploads for a detailed description.
`${STORAGE_DIR}/temp`	`/dv/temp`	See dataverse.files.directory for a detailed description.
`${STORAGE_DIR}/store`	`/dv/store`	Important when using the default provided local storage option (see above and File Storage)
`/tmp`	-	Location for temporary files, see also Temporary Upload File Storage

Exposed Ports

See base image exposed port.

Entry & Extension Points

The application image makes use of the base image provided system to execute scripts on boot, see Entry & Extension Points. See there for potential extension of this image in your own derivative.