#5 - Add coder-xfce-vnc image variant and move user setup to runtime #6

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GuillaumeHemmen merged 13 commits from 5-differentiate-coder-deployment-and-devcontainer-images into master 2026-05-30 07:23:04 +00:00

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GuillaumeHemmen commented 2026-05-30 07:22:47 +00:00

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Closes #5.

Summary

• Adds a new coder-xfce-vnc image variant on top of the existing coder variant, providing an XFCE desktop served over noVNC, with Firefox and JetBrains Toolbox preinstalled.
• Wires the new variant into both CI workflows (docker-dev.yaml, docker-tag.yaml) so it builds and tags alongside the headless coder image (coder-xfce-vnc-<sha>, coder-xfce-vnc-latest).
• Moves per-user runtime setup (NVM/Node, Yarn, bash prompt, global gitignore) out of the image build and into scripts/coder-init.sh, executed at workspace start so it works correctly with PVC-mounted /home/coder.
• Adds scripts/coder-init-desktop.sh for desktop-only setup (Firefox APT repo, JetBrains Toolbox), and scripts/start-xfce-vnc.sh as a standalone, idempotent launcher (re-invocation no longer kills active sessions).
• Ships a noVNC index.html shim that auto-redirects with autoconnect=1 and supports path-based reverse proxies — important since the Coder template uses subdomain = false.
• Adds a system-wide jetbrains-toolbox.desktop entry so Toolbox is discoverable from the XFCE menu.

Notes

• The latest tag is now scoped to the headless variant (coder-latest); the bare :latest tag was dropped from docker-tag.yaml to avoid ambiguity now that there are two variants.
• Build-time NODE_VERSION / global-gitignore URL args were removed in favor of runtime configuration inside coder-init.sh.
• The companion Coder Terraform template that selects between the two variants via a "Use with desktop" checkbox lives in untracked files (desktop_main.tf, desktop_readme.md) and is not part of this PR.

Test plan

• Forgejo Actions builds both coder-<sha> and coder-xfce-vnc-<sha> images successfully on push.
• Tag build produces coder-<tag>, coder-latest, coder-xfce-vnc-<tag>, coder-xfce-vnc-latest.
• Headless workspace starts; code-server and JetBrains Gateway reachable; coder-init.sh provisions NVM/Node/Yarn into a fresh /home/coder PVC.
• Desktop workspace starts; noVNC reachable via the Coder proxy path (no 404 from path concat); autoconnect lands directly in the XFCE session.
• Restarting the desktop workspace does not kill the existing XFCE session mid-run (idempotency check on start-xfce-vnc.sh).

Closes #5. ## Summary - Adds a new `coder-xfce-vnc` image variant on top of the existing `coder` variant, providing an XFCE desktop served over noVNC, with Firefox and JetBrains Toolbox preinstalled. - Wires the new variant into both CI workflows (`docker-dev.yaml`, `docker-tag.yaml`) so it builds and tags alongside the headless `coder` image (`coder-xfce-vnc-<sha>`, `coder-xfce-vnc-latest`). - Moves per-user runtime setup (NVM/Node, Yarn, bash prompt, global gitignore) out of the image build and into `scripts/coder-init.sh`, executed at workspace start so it works correctly with PVC-mounted `/home/coder`. - Adds `scripts/coder-init-desktop.sh` for desktop-only setup (Firefox APT repo, JetBrains Toolbox), and `scripts/start-xfce-vnc.sh` as a standalone, idempotent launcher (re-invocation no longer kills active sessions). - Ships a noVNC `index.html` shim that auto-redirects with `autoconnect=1` and supports path-based reverse proxies — important since the Coder template uses `subdomain = false`. - Adds a system-wide `jetbrains-toolbox.desktop` entry so Toolbox is discoverable from the XFCE menu. ## Notes - The `latest` tag is now scoped to the headless variant (`coder-latest`); the bare `:latest` tag was dropped from `docker-tag.yaml` to avoid ambiguity now that there are two variants. - Build-time `NODE_VERSION` / global-gitignore URL args were removed in favor of runtime configuration inside `coder-init.sh`. - The companion Coder Terraform template that selects between the two variants via a "Use with desktop" checkbox lives in untracked files (`desktop_main.tf`, `desktop_readme.md`) and is **not** part of this PR. ## Test plan - [x] Forgejo Actions builds both `coder-<sha>` and `coder-xfce-vnc-<sha>` images successfully on push. - [x] Tag build produces `coder-<tag>`, `coder-latest`, `coder-xfce-vnc-<tag>`, `coder-xfce-vnc-latest`. - [x] Headless workspace starts; code-server and JetBrains Gateway reachable; `coder-init.sh` provisions NVM/Node/Yarn into a fresh `/home/coder` PVC. - [x] Desktop workspace starts; noVNC reachable via the Coder proxy path (no 404 from path concat); autoconnect lands directly in the XFCE session. - [x] Restarting the desktop workspace does not kill the existing XFCE session mid-run (idempotency check on `start-xfce-vnc.sh`).

GuillaumeHemmen self-assigned this 2026-05-30 07:22:47 +00:00

GuillaumeHemmen added 13 commits 2026-05-30 07:22:47 +00:00

Add coder-xfce-vnc variant with XFCE desktop and noVNC support ... 5dd90b4b1c

- Introduced a new Docker image variant `coder-xfce-vnc`, extending the `coder` variant with a lightweight XFCE desktop environment and noVNC web access.
- Updated workflows (`docker-dev.yaml`, `docker-tag.yaml`) to build and tag the `coder-xfce-vnc` variant alongside existing images.
- Expanded README.md with details about the new variant, including features, use cases, and usage examples.
- Enhanced Dockerfile with a new build stage for the `coder-xfce-vnc` variant, adding TigerVNC, XFCE, and noVNC.

Refactor coder-xfce-vnc variant: Update dependencies, optimize startup script, and improve VNC/noVNC configuration 9c1145bc20

Add coder-init.sh for per-user workspace initialization ... 49ed293c54

- Moved per-user runtime setup from image build to `coder-init.sh`, run at workspace start, ensuring flexibility for different PVC mount scenarios.
- Tasks now handled by `coder-init.sh`:
  - Install and configure NVM, Node.js (default: v24), and Yarn.
  - Populate `.bashrc` with NVM init lines and a custom prompt.
  - Download and configure a global gitignore template.
- Updated README and Dockerfile to reference the new initialization script.
- Removed build-time Node.js version and global-gitignore URL arguments; these are now runtime-configurable.

Source .bashrc in coder-init.sh for environment variable initialization 51832a141e

Move start-xfce-vnc script from inline Dockerfile definition to standalone file for better maintainability 911326c2ef

Add noVNC port check and default index.html for autoconnect ... b8b03e44d3

- Prevent script re-invocation from terminating active XFCE sessions by checking if noVNC is already running.
- Add index.html in noVNC to enable proper redirection with autoconnect query string.

Improve noVNC index.html to support path-based reverse proxies 8349a1a81a

Add coder-init-desktop.sh and update Dockerfile for XFCE enhancements ... bf847bddd2

- Introduced `coder-init-desktop.sh` for desktop-specific user initialization, ensuring compatibility with XFCE and noVNC.
- Added Firefox installation from Mozilla's APT repo, resolving issues with unsupported Snap packages in container environments.
- Integrated VS Code desktop app installation via Microsoft's APT repo.
- Added JetBrains Toolbox installation for per-user IDE management.
- Updated Dockerfile to include and copy the new initialization script.

Remove VS Code desktop installation from Dockerfile 157e80b3a8

Add system-wide JetBrains Toolbox desktop entry with GPU workaround ... 14c57801d9

- Added a `.desktop` entry for JetBrains Toolbox to Dockerfile and set up system-wide availability for XFCE environments.
- Included the `--disable-gpu` flag to address Chromium GPU initialization failure.

Fix JetBrains Toolbox desktop entry path in Exec attribute b7e11c5ed8

Remove --disable-gpu flag from JetBrains Toolbox desktop entry ecfb1a7ada

Remove --disable-gpu flag from JetBrains Toolbox desktop entry 86b85387b0

GuillaumeHemmen merged commit b0122d6bcc into master 2026-05-30 07:23:04 +00:00

GuillaumeHemmen deleted branch 5-differentiate-coder-deployment-and-devcontainer-images 2026-05-30 07:23:04 +00:00

GuillaumeHemmen referenced this pull request from a commit 2026-05-30 07:23:04 +00:00

#5 - Add coder-xfce-vnc image variant and move user setup to runtime (#6)

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