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This plugin provisions a dedicated Docker-in-Docker (DinD) daemon and configures Testcontainers to connect to it during build time, providing an isolated Docker engine.

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Usage

plugins:
  - TestcontainersDinD@v1
When running buildcharts generate, the plugin starts or reuses the DinD container, updates .buildcharts/docker-bake.hcl, and leaves the Docker daemon running for reuse (memory footprint ~40 MB).

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What it does

  • Starts a buildcharts-dind container using the docker:27-dind image
  • Reuses the container if it already exists, or removes and recreates it if the image differs
  • Runs the container in privileged mode, binds port 2375, and disables TLS
  • Supports BUILDCHARTS_DIND_IMAGE to override the Docker image tag
  • Supports BUILDCHARTS_DIND_VOLUME=true to mount the named buildcharts-dind volume at /var/lib/docker
  • Patches the generated .buildcharts/docker-bake.hcl for target "test":
    • TESTCONTAINERS_HOST_OVERRIDE - arg with DinD container IP
    • host.docker.internal - extra host that resolves to the host gateway
  • Writes .buildcharts/plugins/TestcontainersDinD@v1/container_debuginfo.json

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Environment variables

  • BUILDCHARTS_DIND_IMAGE
  • BUILDCHARTS_DIND_VOLUME

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Notes

  • If the generated Bake plan has no test target, the patch step is skipped.
  • The plugin leaves the buildcharts-dind container running for reuse across builds.
  • Set BUILDCHARTS_DIND_VOLUME=true before the first plugin run when you want Docker images inside DinD to persist between runs. If the container already exists, remove it before changing this mode.

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Last modified on June 2, 2026