Drools & jBPM get Dockerized

Docker is becoming a reference to build, ship and run container-based applications. It provides an standard, easy and automated way to deploy your applications.
Since latest 6.2.0.Final community release you can use Docker to deploy and run your Drools & jBPM applications in an easy and friendly way. Do not worry about operation system, environment and/or application server provisioning and deployments … just use the applications!
The images are already available at Docker Hub:
Please refer to next “Drools & jBPM community Docker images” section for more information about what’s contained in each image.

Why are these images helpful for me and my company?

To understand the advantages of using these Docker images, let’s do a quick comparison with the deployment process for a manual installation of a Drools Workbench application.
If you do it by yourself:
  1. Install and prepare a Java runtime environment
  2. Download the workbench war (and other resources if necessary), from the official home page or from JBoss Nexus
  3. Download and prepare a JBoss WildFly server instance
  4. Configure the WildFly instance, including for example configuring the security subsystem etc.
  5. Deploy Drools into the WildFly instance
  6. Start the application server and run your Drools application
As you can notice, manual installation already takes quite a few steps.  While this process can be automated in some way (as the jbpm-installer for example does), some questions arise at this point … What if I need a more complex environment? Are other colleagues using the same software versions and configuration? Can I replicate exact same environment? Could someone else easily run my local example easily during a customer demo? And if I need to deploy several identical runtime environments? What about removing my local installation from my computer? …
Software containers & Docker are a possible solution and help providing an answer to some of these questions.
Both Drools & jBPM community Docker images include:
  • The OpenJDK JRE 1.7 environment 
  • A JBoss WildFly 8.1.0.Final application server
  • Our web-based applications (Drools Workbench, KIE server and/or jBPM Workbench) ready to run (configurations and deployments already present)
You don’t have to worry about the Java environment, the application server, the web applications or configuration … just run the application using a single command:
  docker run -p 8080:8080 -d –name drools-wb jboss/drools-workbench-showcase:6.2.0.Final
Once finished, just remove it:
   docker stop …
At this point, you can customize, replicate and distribute the applications! Learn more about Docker, its advantages and how to use it at the offical site.

The environment you need

Do not worry about Java environments, application servers or database management systems, just install Docker:
   # For RHEL/Fedora based distributions:
   sudo yum -y install docker
More installation information at the official Docker documentation.
Are you using Windows? 

For windows users, in order to use Docker, you have to install Boot2Docker. It provides a Linux basic environment where Docker can run. Please refer to the official  documentation for the Docker installation on Windows platforms.

You are ready to run!

Drools & jBPM community Docker images

For the 6.2.0.Final community release six Docker images have been released.  They can be categorized in two main groups: Base images provide the base software with no custom configurations. They are intended to be extended and customized by Docker users.   Showcase images provide applications that are ready to run out-of-the-box (including for example some standard configuration).  Just run and use it!  Ideal for demos or evaluations / getting started.
  • Base images 
    • Drools Workbench
    • KIE Execution Server
    • jBPM Workbench
       
  • Showcase images
    • Drools Workbench Showcase
    • KIE Execution Server Showcase
    • jBPM Workbench Showcase
    Let’s dive into a detailed description of each image in the following sections.

    Drools Workbench

    This image provides the standalone Drools web authoring and rules management application for version 6.2.0.Final.  It does not include any custom configuration, it just provides a clean Drools Workbench application running in JBoss WildFly 8.1.  The goal of this image is to provide the base software and allow users to extend it, and apply custom configurations and build custom images.
    Fetch the image into your Docker host:
       docker pull jboss/drools-workbench:6.2.0.Final
    Customize the image by creating your Dockerfiles:
       FROM jboss/drools-workbench:6.2.0.Final
       …

    Please refer to Appendix C for extending this image.

    Run a Drools Workbench container:
    docker run -p 8080:8080 -d –name drools-wb jboss/drools-workbench:6.2.0.Final
    Navigate to your Drools Workbench at:
       http://localhost:8080/drools-wb # Linux users
       http://<boot2docker_ip>:8080/drools-wb # Windows users

    Refer to Appendix A for more information about IP address and port bindings.

    Drools Workbench Showcase

    See it in Docker Hub

    This image provides the standalone Drools web authoring and rules management application for version 6.2.0.Final plus security configuration and some examples.

    Tip: This image inherits from the Drools Workbench one and adds custom configurations for WildFly security subsystem (security realms) and system properties for enabling the use of the examples repository. 

    The goal for this image is to provide a ready to run Drools Workbench application: just pull, run and use the Workbench.

    1. Pull the image:

      docker pull jboss/drools-workbench-showcase:6.2.0.Final

    2. Run the image:

      docker run -p 8080:8080 -d –name drools-wb-showcase jboss/drools-workbench-showcase:6.2.0.Final

    3. Navigate to the workbench at:

       http://localhost:8080/drools-wb # Linux users
       http://<boot2docker_ip>:8080/drools-wb # Windows users

    Refer to Appendix A for more information about IP address and port bindings.

    You can use admin/admin for default logging in – Refer to Appendix B for default users and roles included

    KIE Execution server

    This image provides the standalone rules execution component for version 6.2.0.Final, to handle rules via remote interfaces.

    More information for the KIE Execution Server can be found at the official documentation.

    This image does not include any custom configuration, it just provides a clean KIE Execution Server application running in JBoss WildFly 8.1.  The goal for this image is to provide the base software and let the users to extend it, and apply custom configurations and build custom images.
    Fetch the image into your Docker host:
       docker pull jboss/kie-server:6.2.0.Final
    Customize the image by creating your Dockerfiles:
       FROM jboss/kie-server:6.2.0.Final
       …

    Please refer to Appendix C for extending this image.

    Run a KIE Execution Server container:
       docker run -p 8080:8080 -d –name kie-server jboss/kie-server:6.2.0.Final
    The KIE Execution Server is located at:
       http://localhost:8080/kie-server # Linux users
       http://<boot2docker_ip>:8080/kie-server # Windows users

    Refer to Appendix A for more information about IP address and port bindings.

    Example: use the remote REST API to perform server requests :
     http://localhost:8080/kie-server/services/rest/server # Linux
     http://<boot2docker_ip>:8080/kie-server/services/rest/server # Win

    KIE Execution Server Showcase

    See it in Docker Hub

    This image provides the standalone rules execution component version 6.2.0.Final to handle rules via remote interfaces plus a basic security configuration (include a default user and role).

    More information for the KIE Execution Server can be found at the official documentation. 

    Tip: This image inherits from the KIE Execution Server one and adds custom configuration for WildFly security subsystem (security realms).

    The goal of this image is to provide a ready to run KIE Execution Server: just pull, run and use the remote services.

    1. Pull the image:

       docker pull jboss/kie-server-showcase:6.2.0.Final

    2. Run the image:

       docker run -p 8080:8080 -d –name kie-server-showcase jboss/kie-server-showcase:6.2.0.Final

    3. The server is located at:

       http://localhost:8080/kie-server # Linux users
       http://<boot2docker_ip>:8080/kie-server # Windows users


        The REST API service is located at:
      
     http://localhost:8080/kie-server/services/rest/server # Linux  
     http://<boot2docker_ip>:8080/kie-server/services/rest/server # Win  

    Refer to Appendix A for more information about IP address and port bindings.

    You can use kie-server/kie-server for default logging – Refer to Appendix B for default users and roles included
      

    jBPM Workbench

    This image provides the standalone version 6.2.0.Final of the jBPM Workbench: web-based authoring and management of your processes.  It does not include any custom configuration, it just provides a clean jBPM Workbench application running in JBoss WildFly 8.1.  The goal of this image is to provide the base software and let the users to extend it, and apply custom configurations and build custom images.
    Fetch the image into your Docker host:
       docker pull jboss/jbpm-workbench:6.2.0.Final
    Customize the image by creating your Dockerfiles:
       FROM jboss/jbpm-workbench:6.2.0.Final
       …

    Please refer to Appendix C for extending this image.

    Run a jBPM Workbench container:
       docker run -p 8080:8080 -d –name jbpm-wb jboss/jbpm-workbench:6.2.0.Final
    Navigate to your jBPM Workbench at:
       http://localhost:8080/jbpm-console # Linux users
       http://<boot2docker_ip>:8080/jbpm-console # Windows users

    Refer to Appendix A for more information about IP address and port bindings.

    jBPM Workbench Showcase

    This image provides the standalone version 6.2.0.Final of the jBPM Workbench: web-based authoring and management of your processes. It includes the security and persistence configurations and some examples too.

    Tip: This image inherits from the jBPM Workbench one and adds custom configurations for WildFly security subsystem (security realms) and system properties for enabling the use of the examples repository. 

    The goal of this image is to provide a ready to run jBPM Workbench application: just pull, run and use the Workbench:

    1. Pull the image:

       docker pull jboss/jbpm-workbench-showcase:6.2.0.Final

    2. Run the image:

       docker run -p 8080:8080 -d –name jbpm-wb-showcase jboss/jbpm-workbench-showcase:6.2.0.Final

    3. Navigate into the workbench at:

       http://localhost:8080/jbpm-console # Linux users  
       http://<boot2docker_ip>:8080/jbpm-console # Windows users

    Refer to Appendix A for more information about IP address and port bindings.

    You can use admin/admin for default logging – Refer to Appendix B for default users and roles included

    Appendix

     

    Appendix A – IP address and ports bindings for Docker containers

     

    Port bindings
    By default, when using any of the Drools & jBPM Docker images, the port 8080 is exposed for the use of the HTTP connector. This port is not exposed to the Docker host by default, so in order to expose it and be able to navigate through the applications please read the following instructions.

    The recommended use for running containers is specifying in the docker client the -p argument as:

      docker run -p 8080:8080 -d ….

    Doing this way, the docker daemon binds the internal container’s port 8080 to the Docker host machine’s port 8080. So you can navigate into the applications at:

       http://<docker_host>:8080/jbpm-console
       http://<docker_host>:8080/kie-server
       http://<docker_host>:8080/drools-wb

    If your Docker host machine’s port 8080 is not available, run the containers with the -P command line argument. Docker binds the internal 8080 port to an available free exposed port in the Docker host, so in order to access the application you have to discover the bind port number.

    To discover running container’s ports type the following command:

       docker ps -a

    This command will output the processes and the port mappings for each running container:

    CONTAINERID  IMAGE             COMMAND  CREATED STATUS PORTS                     NAMES
    2a55fb....   jboss/drools-w..  ...      ...     ..     0.0.0.0:49159->8080/tcp.. drools-wb

    The PORTS column shows that the internal container’s port 8080 is bound to port 49159 on the Docker host, so you can navigate into the applications at:

       http://<docker_host>:49159/jbpm-console
       http://<docker_host>:49159/kie-server
       http://<docker_host>:49159/drools-wb

    Docker hostname & IP address
    The Docker hostname or IP address have to be specified in order to navigate through the container’s applications.

    If you are running Docker in your localhost and using Linux based OS, it defaults to localhost:

       http://localhost:8080/jbpm-console
       http://localhost:8080/kie-server
       http://localhost:8080/drools-wb

    If you are running Docker on another machine or in Windows environments, where Boot2Docker is required,  you have to specify the host name (if DNS available for it) or the IP address for it:

       http://192.168.1.156:8080/jbpm-console
       http://192.168.1.156:8080/kie-server
       http://192.168.1.156:8080/drools-wb


    Appendix B – Default applications users & roles

    The Showcase images Drools Workbench Showcase and jBPM Workbench Showcase include default users & roles:

    Drools & jBPM Workbench Showcase roles

    RoleDescription
    adminThe administrator
    analystThe analyst
    developerThe developer
    managerThe manager
    userThe end user
    kiemgmtKIE management user
    AccountingAccounting role
    PMProject manager role
    HRHuman resources role
    salesSales role
    ITIT role

    Drools & jBPM Workbench Showcase users

    UsernamePasswordRoles
    adminadminadmin,analyst,kiemgmt
    krisvkrisvadmin,analyst
    johnjohnanalyst,Accounting,PM
    marymaryanalyst,HR
    sales-repsales-repanalyst,sales
    katykatyanalyst,HR
    jackjackanalyst,IT
    salaboysalaboyadmin,analyst,IT,HR,Accounting

    For KIE Execution Server Showcase there is a single user and role:

    UsernamePasswordRoles
    kie-serverkie-serverkie-server

    Appendix C – Extending base images

    The Base images are intended to be inherited from, for adding your custom configurations or deployments.

    In order to extend the images, the Dockerfile must start with: 

        FROM jboss/drools-workbench:6.2.0.Final 

        FROM jboss/kie-server:6.2.0.Final
        FROM jboss/jbpm-workbench:6.2.0.Final

    At this point, custom configurations and deployments can be added. Some notes:

    • JBoss WildFly is located at the path given by $JBOSS_HOME environment variable
    • $JBOSS_HOME points to /opt/jboss/wildfly/
    • Applications are using the server in standalone mode:
      • Configurations located at $JBOSS_HOME/standalone/configuration/
      • Configuration files for the standalone-full profile are used
      • Deployments are located at $JBOSS_HOME/standalone/deployments/

    You can find more information at each official image page at Docker Hub:

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