I am trying to decide on the best approach to take on containers that dont have web a interface and only operate on files.

 

For instance a container that converts a file from format A to format B.

 

Option 1: Use docker exec "ssh" like and do it manually.

Option 2: Use something like inotify and a fixed "in", "out" and "fail" type folder structure

 

Option 1 is more flexible but less "docker" like and obviously far more manual. Option 2 feels like a docker app but requires a known folder structure or it fails.

 

I can see this happening more and more so it makes sense to perhaps standardize on a docker/method to do this before we all go off doing our own thing.

I'd probably make it more like option 1 and have command scripts on the unraid side that makes it simple for users. Like "mkvinfo" "mkvmerge" that is wrapper around docker exec container [arguments].

 

That or create your own plug in we but page that does the same thing but that is tedious and time consuming.

That is quite a slick solution, the problem is that it only works if every tool you need is in the base OS which is going to be unlikely beyond the default run of the mill stuff.

 

So this means people will be generating specific containers anyway so maybe that takes us back to option 2?.... dont know ... nothing seems like a perfect fit solution.