Tebako multi-architecture packaging containers now available on Docker

Maxim Samsonov on 24 Jan 2025

Tebako aims to simplify the packaging process for developers across platforms and architectures, and we understand that a pre-packaged environment can significantly reduce the complexity of the packaging process.

We’re excited to announce the launch of Tebako Packaging Containers, now available on the GitHub Container Registry (ghcr.io).

These containers streamline workflows and ensure compatibility with both GNU Linux and musl-based distributions.

Introducing Tebako packaging containers

Creating Tebako packages for Linux requires matching the target system’s architecture and standard library implementation. For instance: - x86_64/aarch64 packages must be built on x86_64/aarch64 systems, respectively. - Packages for GNU/musl Linux must be created in corresponding GNU/musl environments.

Installing Tebako on diverse Linux configurations can be challenging, and our testing focuses on specific Ubuntu and Alpine setups. To overcome these challenges, we provide Docker containers preconfigured with the Tebako executable packager.

Key Benefits

• Cross-Distribution Compatibility: Package applications for Ubuntu, Red Hat, Fedora, Alpine, and more.

• Multiarchitecture Ready: Build for both amd64 and arm64 platforms effortlessly.

• Reliable and Tested: Our containers are rigorously tested to ensure high performance and reliability.

• Community-Driven: Your feedback matters! Share your experiences to help us improve Tebako containers.

Available containers

General

We offer containers designed for packaging in GNU and musl target environments.

The Tebako packaging containers are available in both x86_64 (amd64) and aarch64 / arm64 architectures.

They include multi-architecture manifests and come preconfigured with Tebako packaging environments for Ruby versions 3.2.6 and 3.3.6.

To run the container, use the following command:

Running a Tebako container interactively with bash

$ docker run -it --rm -v $PWD:/mnt/w ghcr.io/tamatebako/tebako-<container_tag>:latest bash

The currently available tags are described below.

ubuntu-20.04

The Tebako ubuntu-20.04 container is based on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, providing a suitable environment for packaging applications targeting GNU systems with the glibc implementation of the C standard library.

Note	Don’t let the Ubuntu version fool you! While this container version is based on Ubuntu 20.04, packages built using the container are compatible with all other Ubuntu distributions newer than Ubuntu 20.04.

This container builds packages compatible with the following platforms:

Table 1. Minimum GLIBC Versions for Tebako Packages

Distribution	Minimum Supported Version	GLIBC Version
Ubuntu	20.04 (Focal Fossa)	GLIBC 2.31
Debian	11 (Bullseye)	GLIBC 2.31
Rocky Linux	9	GLIBC 2.34
Fedora	33	GLIBC 2.32
CentOS	9	GLIBC 2.34
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)	9	GLIBC 2.34
Oracle Linux	9	GLIBC 2.34

Note	Compatibility with these distributions is based on the minimum supported GLIBC version, through the Tebako --patchelf option which ensures forward compatibility with GNU Linux distributions using GLIBC version 2.31 and above.

To use the container, run the following command:

$ docker run -it --rm -v $PWD:/mnt/w ghcr.io/tamatebako/tebako-ubuntu-20.04:latest bash

alpine-3.17

The Tebako alpine-3.17 container is based on Alpine Linux 3.17, offering an optimized environment for packaging applications targeting systems with the musl implementation of the C standard library.

Note	While this container version is based on Alpine 3.17, packages built using the container are compatible with all other Alpine distributions newer than Alpine 3.17.

Using the Tebako containers

General

There are two primary methods for packaging with Tebako:

From outside the container

Using Docker commands to package your application without entering the container.

From inside the container

Interactively working within the container to package your application.

Prerequisites

• Docker installed on your machine.

• A Ruby application ready for packaging.

From outside the container

You can package your application from outside the container by running a single Docker command. This command mounts your workspace into the container and executes the tebako press command.

The following press command parameters are to be specified:

• Application root (--root=[application_root_directory])

• Entry point (--entry-point=[entry_point])

• Output location (--output=[output_executable])

• Ruby version (--Ruby=[version])

$ docker run -v <application_folder>:/mnt/w \
  -t ghcr.io/tamatebako/tebako-${{ container_tag }}:latest \
  tebako press <tebako press parameters>

Example 1. Packaging the fontist gem from outside the container

To package the fontist gem, a Ruby application for managing fonts, located in the fontist/ directory under the current working directory, use the following command:

docker run -v $PWD:/mnt/w \
  -t ghcr.io/tamatebako/tebako-ubuntu-20.04:latest \
  tebako press --root=/mnt/w/fontist --entry-point=fontist --output=/mnt/w/fontist-package --Ruby=3.3.7

from inside the container

To package your application from inside the Tebako container, follow these steps:

1. Pull the Tebako container image:

   $ docker pull ghcr.io/tamatebako/tebako-<container_tag>:latest

   Replace <container_tag> with the desired container tag (e.g., ubuntu-20.04 or alpine-3.17).

2. Start and enter the container interactively:

   $ docker run -it --rm -v <application_folder>:/mnt/w ghcr.io/tamatebako/tebako-<container_tag>:latest bash

   Replace <container_tag> with the appropriate tag and <application_folder> with the path to your application folder.

3. Once inside the container, run the tebako press command:

   $ tebako press <tebako press parameters>

Example 2. Packaging the fontist gem from inside the container

To package the fontist gem, located in the fontist/ directory under the current working directory, use the following commands:

# Start and enter the container
$ docker run -it --rm -v $PWD:/mnt/w ghcr.io/tamatebako/tebako-<container_tag>:latest bash

# Run this after entering the container
$ tebako press --root=/mnt/w/fontist --entry-point=fontist --output=/mnt/w/fontist-package --Ruby=3.3.7

If you are packaging a Ruby Gem, the *.gemspec file is used to specify files included in the gem, often using the shell command git ls-files. This means that when packaging from inside the container, the container’s instance of git will be used to resolve these files.

If you use a mounted host directory for packaging, the container’s instance of git will be used to obtain this list by default, and if the packaging directory is not a Git repository, the command will fail.

To resolve this, you shall alter the container’s configuration by running the following command before packaging:

git config --global --add safe.directory <source>

Note	Thanks to bradgessler for the suggestion!

Packaging from inside the container is primarily designed to support CI environments like GitHub Actions (GHA) or Cirrus CI. It provides a complete packaging environment that does not require any additional installations, making it ideal for automated workflows.

Samples

• Tebako CI Containers GitHub Actions workflow includes examples featuring packaging of fontist gem.

• Tebako samples repository includes tutorial with basic Tebako CI containers examples and advanced workflows that show how to package Sinatra and Ruby on Rails applications.

Get started and feedback

Simplify your packaging process by visiting our GitHub repository.

Explore the README to start using Tebako Packaging Containers today.

We’re eager to see what you’ll build! If you have feedback, questions, or suggestions, feel free to reach out — we’re here to help make packaging seamless.

Happy packaging! — The Tebako Team

Contact information

Contact us if you encounter any problems with Tebako, at our issues page:

• https://github.com/tamatebako/tebako/issues

The team is always on the watch for making things easier for Tebako users.

Press on with Tebako!