Container, host path -- What am I missing?

[Rattykins]

Unraid newbie looking for additional clarity. Read the FAQ, which helped somewhat, but I'd love an additional nod of approval (or sigh of disbelief) to verify my understanding.

 

Background: Set up Paperless-ngx (from CA store) alongside Apache-Tika and Gotenberg (for Office file PDF conversion services). Ended up blowing up my Docker, which I had to rebuild (glad I learned to do that, and it was surprisingly successful!) Still trying to figure out what went wrong actually. Might be a pathing issue, or just Paperless-ngx weirdness.

 

Still, the Paperless-ngx setup was a breeze since the CA store provided a template; didn't mess with paths too much and for the most part it runs well.

 

Apache-Tika and Gotenberg have to be installed manually however. I managed, but with some reservations given my poor understanding.

 

Confirm my ELI5-level understanding: So the docker is a bubble... literally a bubble called docker.img. The docker apps live there, but we store docker software config files OUTSIDE the bubble in appdata, so that docker software can be easily reinstalled if necessary. In addition, anytime a docker app wants to write INSIDE the bubble (container path), we give it a path OUTSIDE the bubble (host path), telling it to do all its work there and prevent our bubble from filling up.

 

For a manually configured docker app, I control the Host path, correct? For example, I could simply create a new directory called "Tika" in appdata and tell the docker to do its work there.

 

My confusion stems primarily from container path. I don't know anything about the invisible paths the docker app uses. I can't look at them. The documentation doesn't mention them. Surely they're not arbitrary, since I have to precisely map bubble-inside data to my bubble-outside location (the Host path).

 

What am I missing?

 

If you read all that, my sincere thanks <grin>

 

Justin

[caplam]

i guess you have to trust the maintainer if you use a template. Needed host paths has to be exposed in the template.

If not using a template you have to know where the app is writing to map this to host.

If beginner i would advise to stay with templated dockers apps.

[Kilrah]

3 hours ago, Rattykins said:

The documentation doesn't mention them. Surely they're not arbitrary, since I have to precisely map bubble-inside data to my bubble-outside location (the Host path).

It should be in the doc, or at least the docker image you're using should have an example of how to run it. If not then either it doesn't actually need local storage of its own, or is poorly maintained and it's going to be a bit of a pain indeed.

 

Edit: Looked at those 2 projects and they seem to be "give them input, they spit output", no storage of their own.

Edited March 1, 2023 by Kilrah

[Rattykins]

Fair enough. I figured that might be a possibility.

 

So in THIS case, I can get away with not even mapping container paths to host paths, correct?

 

 

[Kilrah]

Looks like it yes. Before going full production play with some test files for a while, then force update each container, check everything's still there and working as intended, if that's fine it's OK. 

 

[Rattykins]

Reinstalled both the Apache-Tika and Gotenberg apps; they seem to be working as intended without any container->host mappings. Advice well taken however, so I'll do as you suggested for a bit and just monitor things before dumping too many documents in.

 

You've been hugely helpful. Much appreciated!

 

- J