use gui incus

content/post/use-gui-programs-in-incus-container.md

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+---
+title: "Use GUI Programs in Incus Container"
+date: 2024-04-28T09:05:07+05:30
+lastmod: 2024-04-28T09:05:07+05:30
+draft: false
+keywords: [gui, incus]
+description: ""
+tags: [incus]
+categories: [linux]
+author: ""
+
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+---
+
+If you've ever faced the challenge of running graphical user interface (GUI) programs
+within a container, fear not! While it may seem like a daunting task at first, with this
+comprehensive guide, we'll walk through the process using Incus Container. We will set up
+and configure your environment to run GUI-based applications seamlessly in a virtualized
+space. Let's get started!
+
+<!--more-->
+
+## Create a GUI profile
+
+To begin, you must create a new profile specifically for managing GUI programs within the
+Incus container. This can be done using the following command:
+
+```bash
+incus profile create gui
+```
+
+And edit with `incnus profile edit gui`. Throw the following contents in and save it.
+
+```yaml
+config:
+  environment.DISPLAY: :0
+description: ""
+devices:
+  X0:
+    bind: container
+    connect: unix:@/tmp/.X11-unix/X0
+    listen: unix:@/tmp/.X11-unix/X0
+    security.gid: "1000"
+    security.uid: "1000"
+    type: proxy
+  mygpu:
+    type: gpu
+name: gui
+```
+
+We are using host's display so we will be using sockets.
+
+## Add NixOS configuration
+
+Now add the following in `configuration.nix`, rebuild and switch.
+
+```nix
+users.users.root = {
+  subUidRanges = [
+    {
+      count = 1000;
+      startUid = 1000;
+    }
+  ];
+  subGidRanges = [
+    {
+      count = 1000;
+      startGid = 1000;
+    }
+  ];
+};
+```
+
+This update enables the matching of users and groups between your host machine and
+container.
+
+## Configure default Incus settings
+
+Create or edit the `~/.config/incus/default.conf` file to provide default settings tailored specifically for running GUI applications within an Incus container. Add these configurations to your `default.conf`:
+
+```conf
+## For regular unpriv containers:
+#incus.id_map = u 0 100000 65536
+#incus.id_map = g 0 100000 65536
+## For GUI upriv containers
+incus.idmap = u 0 100000 1000
+incus.idmap = g 0 100000 1000
+incus.idmap = u 1000 1000 1
+incus.idmap = g 1000 1000 1
+incus.idmap = u 1001 101001 64535
+incus.idmap = g 1001 101001 64535
+incus.mount.entry = /dev/dri dev/dri none bind,optional,create=dir
+incus.mount.entry = /dev/snd dev/snd none bind,optional,create=dir
+incus.mount.entry = /tmp/.X11-unix tmp/.X11-unix none bind,optional,create=dir
+incus.mount.entry = /dev/video0 dev/video0 none bind,optional,create=file
+```
+
+These configurations allow for the proper mapping of GUI applications within Incus and
+provide mounting entries that correspond to essential devices required by these programs
+(e.g., graphics card drivers).
+
+On host machine, run
+
+```bash
+xhost +local:
+```
+
+Add your container to `gui` profile:
+
+```bash
+incus profile add <container> gui
+```
+
+## Running X Server Inside Your Container:
+
+Now that you've set up your profile, it's time to install an X server inside your container to render graphical elements on the GUI applications. The installation process may vary depending on your distribution and version. For example, if using Arch Linux, run these commands:
+
+```bash
+yay -S xorg-server xorg-xauth xorg-drivers mesa-utils
+```
+
+This will install X server components required to render the GUI elements for your
+applications within Incus.
+
+## Executing a GUI Program in Your Container
+
+Finally, let's test our setup by running an example GUI program inside the container with the appropriate user permissions. To do this, use the following command:
+
+```bash
+incus exec <container> --user 1000 -- glxgears
+```
+
+After executing the above command, you should see a window displaying spinning gears from
+the GLXGEARS program - indicating that your GUI application is now successfully running
+within Incus Container.
+
+Happy hacking!