When developing C++ applications, it’s common to have a large codebase with multiple dependencies. Building the codebase from scratch every time can be time-consuming, especially when only a few files have changed. Docker volumes provide a solution to this problem by allowing us to persistently store/build the code and dependencies outside the Docker container.

In this blog post, we’ll explore how to utilize Docker volumes for incremental C++ builds, enabling faster build times for iterative development.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure you have Docker installed on your system. You can download Docker from the official website for your respective operating system.

Setting up Docker Volume

To use Docker volumes for incremental C++ builds, we need to create a volume and mount it within the Docker container.

1. Open a terminal and run the following command to create a Docker volume:

    docker volume create cpp_build
   

2. Now, let’s create a Dockerfile for building our C++ application. Open a text editor and create a file named Dockerfile.

3. Add the following content to the Dockerfile:

    FROM ubuntu:latest
   
    # Install necessary build tools and dependencies
    RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y build-essential
   
    # Set the working directory
    WORKDIR /app
   
    # Mount the Docker volume
    VOLUME ["/app"]
   
    # Set the entry point for the container
    ENTRYPOINT ["make"]
   

4. Save the Dockerfile and exit the text editor.

Building and Running the Docker Container

Now that we have set up the Docker volume and created the Dockerfile, let’s build and run the Docker container.

1. Open a terminal and navigate to the directory containing the Dockerfile.

2. Build the Docker image using the following command:

    docker build -t cpp-builder .
   

3. Once the image is built, create a container and mount the Docker volume using the following command:

    docker run -v cpp_build:/app --name cpp_builder cpp-builder
   

Incremental Builds

Now that we have our Docker container up and running, we can perform incremental builds to compile only the modified source files.

1. Make your desired changes to the C++ source code in your local development environment.

2. Open a terminal and navigate to the directory containing the Dockerfile.

3. Run the incremental build command using the following command:

    docker run -v cpp_build:/app --name cpp_builder cpp-builder
   

With this setup, Docker volumes will store the build artifacts and dependencies on your local system. When you make changes to the code, Docker will only rebuild the modified source files, resulting in faster build times.

Conclusion

Using Docker volumes for incremental C++ builds provides a powerful method to speed up development iterations. By leveraging persistent storage outside the Docker container, builds are optimized to only compile the modified code, reducing the overall build time significantly. Incorporating this practice into your C++ development workflow can greatly enhance productivity.

Remember to use Docker volumes for your incremental C++ builds and accelerate your development process!

#docker #cpp #incremental-builds