Wasm Docker Extension Example

An example Docker Desktop extension that uses Wasm for the backend instead of a Linux container.

How it works

The Rust code in vm gets compiled to a *.wasm binary in the Dockerfile build process. The build then sets the entry point of the image to that *.wasm binary. See Docker+Wasm docs.

The Wasm backend app is an Http server that runs on port 1234 to communicate with the frontend ui of the extension. Note: Docker Desktop extensions should normally communicate via named socket to avoid port conflicts and security risks that entails. However, there is currently no support for named sockets in Wasm/Wasi. This could potentially change soon in WasmEdge, the Wasm runtime we use.

Installing

As of Docker Desktop v4.15.0, you must have the experimental containerd image store enabled.

Note that your firewall may prompt you to allow port 1234 for the extension.

docker extension install crigneydocker/wasm-extension

Building

make build-extension
make install-extension

Have fun building your own Wasm Docker Desktop extensions!