Dockerize persistent Firefox with Java 7 support

… for old Raritan PDU/KVM devices Web access

Build your Docker image from Dockerfile

• create your Dockerfile

  Dockerfile

  FROM i386/debian:jessie
  RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y firefox-esr icedtea-plugin icedtea-netx openjdk-7-jre openjdk-7-jre-headless tzdata-java
  RUN useradd -ms /bin/bash firefox
  ENV MOZ_FORCE_DISABLE_E10S=1
  USER firefox
  WORKDIR /home/firefox
  CMD tail -f /dev/null
  

  tail -f /dev/null force your Docker container to be persistent even if you’ve closed your Firefox session

• build it

  docker build -t firefox .                 # make it great again
  docker images --filter reference=firefox  # check your docker image information
  

Run your Docker container

• pop Firefox

  docker run -it --rm -e DISPLAY=${DISPLAY} -v /tmp/.X11-unix:/tmp/.X11-unix -v $HOME/Downloads:/home/firefox/Downloads firefox firefox                                        # run it with sharing Downloads directory
  

• add it to your .bashrc to simplify Firefox docker access

  .bashrc

  function ffjava7(){
  CONTAINER_NAME=firefox
  xhost +;
  docker container inspect ${CONTAINER_NAME} > /dev/null 2>&1 ; [ $? -eq 0  ] \
    && docker start firefox \
    || docker run -d --name ${CONTAINER_NAME} -e DISPLAY=${DISPLAY} -v /tmp/.X11-unix:/tmp/.X11-unix -v $HOME/Downloads:/home/firefox/Downloads firefox firefox
  }
  

Sources

• how to build your Docker container
  • https://blog.yadutaf.fr/2017/09/10/running-a-graphical-app-in-a-docker-container-on-a-remote-server/
  • https://www.sicpers.info/2020/10/running-linux-gui-apps-under-macos-using-docker/ [Mac OSX]
  • https://github.com/jlesage/docker-firefox
  • https://github.com/findepi/docker.firefox-silverlight-pipelight [Silverlight support]
• fix Firefox tab persistently crashes on some sites
  • https://support.mozilla.org/bm/questions/1266719