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Building WAR using Docker

Overview​

This section explains how to generate a WAR file for a WaveMaker application by using Docker as a build environment.
Docker provides an isolated and consistent setup with all required build tools pre-installed, eliminating the need to install and manage dependencies on your local machine.

What it does [and not]?​

This process does NOT create a Docker image for your application.

  • Docker is used only as a build tool
  • The output of this process is a standard WAR file
  • The generated WAR can be deployed to any supported Java application server (Tomcat, JBoss, WebSphere, etc.)

The wavemakerapp/app-builder image acts as a temporary build container that runs the build and exits after generating the WAR file.

System Prerequisites​

Before you begin, ensure the following requirements are met:

  • Docker Installed
    Install Docker for your operating system from the official website:
    https://www.docker.com/get-started/

  • WaveMaker Application Project
    Download the wavemaker project from the studio

Steps to follow​

To generate the WAR file locally, run the Docker commands shown below.
This approach is useful to have a clean, containerized build environment without installing build tools locally.

Run the following command, replacing:

  • <your_project_location> with the path to your WaveMaker project
  • <wavemaker_version> with the required or latest WaveMaker version
docker run --rm -e profile=<profile_name> -v <your_project_location>:/usr/local/content/app wavemakerapp/app-builder:<wavemaker_version>

Example:

docker run -rm -e profile=deployment -v /home/user/MySampleApp:/usr/local/content/app wavemakerapp/app-builder

This command mounts your project directory to the container, builds the application, and generates the WAR file in the specified directory.

Faster Builds with Maven and npm Cache​

For faster and more efficient builds, you can specify custom Maven and npm cache locations. This setup reduces the need to download dependencies each time by caching them locally.

Replace <local_m2_cache_location>, <local_npm_cache_location> and <your_project_location> with the appropriate paths on your system.

docker run --rm -e profile=<profile_name> -e MAVEN_CONFIG=$HOME/.m2 \
   -v <local_m2_cache_location>:$HOME/.m2 \
   -v <local_npm_cache_location>:$HOME/.npm \
   -v <your_project_location>:/usr/local/content/app \
   wavemakerapp/app-builder:<wavemaker_version>

Example:

docker run --rm -e profile=deployment -e MAVEN_CONFIG=$HOME/.m2 \
   -v ~/.m2:$HOME/.m2 \
   -v ~/.npm:$HOME/.npm \
   -v /home/user/MySampleApp:/usr/local/content/app \
   wavemakerapp/app-builder

Mapping Host User in Docker​

If you encounter file access or permission issues while working with files outside the container, you can run the container as the host user by using the -u $(id -u):$(id -g) option. This ensures that files created or modified by the container are owned by the host user.

Replace <local_m2_cache_location>, <local_npm_cache_location> and <your_project_location> with the appropriate paths on your system. For <wavemaker_version>, specify the WaveMaker release version, or set the tag to "latest"

docker run --rm -u $(id -u):$(id -g) \
    -e profile=<profile_name> -e MAVEN_CONFIG=$HOME/.m2 \
    -v <local_m2_cache_location>:$HOME/.m2 \
    -v <local_npm_cache_location>:$HOME/.npm \
    -v <your_project_location>:/usr/local/content/app \
    wavemakerapp/app-builder:<wavemaker_version>

Example:

docker run --rm -u $(id -u):$(id -g) \
    -e profile=deployment -e MAVEN_CONFIG=$HOME/.m2 \
    -v ~/.m2:$HOME/.m2 \
    -v ~/.npm:$HOME/.npm \
    -v /home/user/MySampleApp:/usr/local/content/app \
    wavemakerapp/app-builder

Explanation of Options​

  • -e profile=<profile_name>: Sets the build profile.
  • -e MAVEN_CONFIG=$HOME/.m2: Specifies the location for Maven configuration and cache files.
  • -v <local_m2_cache_location>:$HOME/.m2: Maps your local Maven cache, speeding up dependency resolution.
  • -v <local_npm_cache_location>:$HOME/.npm: Maps your local npm cache, improving build efficiency for projects using npm.
  • -v <your_project_location>:/usr/local/content/app: Maps your project directory to the container’s working directory.
  • -u $(id -u):$(id -g): Ensures that the container runs with the host user's UID and GID, resolving file permission issues.
note

The wavemakerapp/app-builder Docker image is packed with required software packages and libraries to deploy WaveMaker Application in Docker containers.

Generate war using docke

Learn how to generate a deployable WAR file using Docker in WaveMaker..

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