Container

Overview

A Container resource lets you create and configure Docker containers that make up your lab environment. Containers provide the compute layer of your sandbox, allowing you to run applications, services, and tools that participants will use during hands-on exercises.

Through the UI, you can define container settings such as the image, startup commands, exposed ports, and environment variables — all without needing to write configuration files. You can also connect containers to networks, manage how they interact within the lab, and make them accessible through terminal tabs for users to interact with directly.

Containers make it easy to design flexible, interactive environments that replicate real-world systems and support a wide range of lab scenarios.

Creating a Container resource

Container resources can be created in the Sandbox tab. To create a new Container resource, navigate to the Sandbox tab and click the + button. Select Container from the dropdown menu.

Start by naming the container. Note that this is an internal name. You can assign a variety of settings to your container, but you also have the option to use a preset. Presets are pre-configured images for common container setups that can help you get started quickly. You can choose a preset from the Select preset dropdown menu:

Alternatively, you can select your own public or private image. By selecting “Add a new public or private image on GCP” you can add a custom image in the input.

For more advanced configuration options, you can check the Advanced configuration section below.

Editing a container resource

To edit a container resource, you can select it from the list of existing sandboxes in the Sandbox tab. Click on the container you want to edit, make your changes in the configuration panel, and then click Add changes to save your updates.

Advanced configuration

Field	Required?	Default	Description
Image	✓		Docker image for the container
Entrypoint			Override the default entrypoint
Command			Command to run in the container
Environment			Environment variables
Command			Select a network for the container
Environment Variables			Key-value pairs for environment variables
Labels			Key-value pairs for container labels
DNS			Configure DNS settings for the container

Port

Field	Required?	Default	Description
Local	✓		Local port on the host machine
Host			Port inside the container
Protocol		Default	Protocol type (TCP/UDP). Default is TCP.

Ports range

Field	Required?	Default	Description
Range	✓		Range of ports on the host (e.g. 3000-3010)
Enable host		false	Enable host port mapping
Protocol		Default	Protocol type (TCP/UDP). Default is TCP

Volume

Field	Required?	Default	Description
Source	✓		Source path on the host machine
Destination	✓		Destination path inside the container
Type		bind	Type of volume (bind/volume/tmpfs)
Read Only		false	Mount the volume as read-only
Bind propagation			Bind mount propagation settings
SELinux relabel			SELinux relabeling settings

Health check

Field	Required?	Default	Description
Timeout		30s	Command to test container health

Healthcheck (HTTP)

Field	Required?	Default	Description
Address	✓		Healthcheck URL
Method		GET	HTTP method
Body			Request body
Headers			HTTP headers
Success codes		200	Expected success codes

Healthcheck (TCP)

Field	Required?	Default	Description
Address	✓		Healthcheck address

Healthcheck (Exec)

Field	Required?	Default	Description
Command			Healthcheck command
Script			Healthcheck script
Exit code		0	Expected exit code

Network

Field	Required?	Default	Description
Network ID	✓		Select the network for the container
IP Address			Static IP address for the container
Aliases			Network aliases for the container

Note

Networks must be created previously before they can be assigned to a container. For more information on creating a network resource, please refer to the Network documentation.

Resources

Field	Required?	Default	Description
CPU			CPU and memory limits
CPU Pin			Pin CPU cores to the container
Memory		256	Memory limits
GPU Driver			GPU settings for the container
GPU Device IDs			GPU device ID for the container
Privileged			Run the container in privileged mode
Max Restarts Count		0	Maximum number of restarts for the container

Capabilities

Field	Required?	Default	Description
Add			Add capabilities to the container
Drop			Drop capabilities from the container

Run as

Field	Required?	Default	Description
User		root	User to run the container as
Group		root	Group to run the container as

Summary

The Container resource serves as the core compute component of your sandbox, enabling you to run the applications, services, and tools used in hands-on labs. You can easily create and configure containers through the UI by choosing a preset image or defining your own, setting startup commands, ports, and environment variables — all without writing configuration files.

For more granular control, containers can also be fine-tuned using advanced configuration options such as volumes, health checks, networks, and resource limits.

Overall, container resources make it simple to build flexible, interactive environments that closely replicate real-world systems and provide an engaging learning experience.