docker-geoserver

Container image build for thinkWhere GeoServer deployments.

This repository now uses a config-driven build flow so version and plugin updates are made in one place.

What this repo builds

The image is built from:

• Tomcat base image (configurable)
• GeoServer WAR (configurable version)
• Stable and community GeoServer plugins (configurable lists)
• Optional GDAL native support and GDAL GeoServer extension
• Optional custom fonts from build/resources/fonts

Main build files:

• build/build-config.yml (single source of build values)
• build/build.sh (Linux/macOS local build)
• build/build.bat (Windows local build)
• build/Dockerfile (image recipe)
• build/download.sh (plugin download helper used by GitHub Actions)

Central config file

Update only build/build-config.yml for normal version/plugin changes.

Keys:

• gs_version
• tomcat_image
• gdal_version
• gdal_native
• tomcat_extras
• build_platform
• plugins (comma-separated stable plugins)
• community_plugins (comma-separated community plugins)

ARM64 example values are included as comments in the same file.

Local build

Windows

1. Open PowerShell.
2. Go to build folder.
3. Run build.bat.

Set-Location "C:\data\DATA_TEAM\geoserver_upgrade\generation_of_images\GeoServer-Docker\build"
.\build.bat

Linux/macOS

1. Open shell.
2. Go to build folder.
3. Run build.sh.

cd build
chmod +x build.sh
./build.sh

Important:

• Both scripts build locally only (docker build), they do not push images.
• If plugin ZIP files already exist in build/resources/plugins, scripts skip re-download.

Run container locally

Windows example with repo-local data directory:

docker rm -f geoserver_local 2>$null
docker run --name geoserver_local -p 8085:8080 -d -v "C:\data\DATA_TEAM\geoserver_upgrade\generation_of_images\GeoServer-Docker\build\resources\data_dir:/opt/geoserver/data_dir" -e "GEOSERVER_LOG_LOCATION=/opt/geoserver/data_dir/logs/geoserver_8085.log" thinkwhere/geoserver:2.28.4

Open:

• http://localhost:8085/geoserver

Deprecated files

• docker-compose.deprecated.yml is legacy reference only and is not part of the current build/deploy flow.

Nginx config (testing only)

• nginx/nginx-for-testing.conf is a local/deprecated testing config for a separate nginx container.
• It is not packaged into the thinkwhere/geoserver image.
• The GeoServer image build context is build/, so files under nginx/ are excluded from image builds.

Step-by-step: upgrade GeoServer version

Use this process when preparing a new image release.

1. Edit build/build-config.yml.
2. Set gs_version to the new GeoServer version.
3. Review plugins and community_plugins lists and adjust as needed for that version.
4. If needed, update tomcat_image, gdal_version, and gdal_native.
5. Run local build (build.bat on Windows or build.sh on Linux).
6. Run a local container and verify GeoServer starts and required plugins load.
7. Commit and push your changes to master.

Step-by-step: what GitHub Actions does

Workflow file: .github/workflows/main.yml.

On push to master, GitHub Actions does this:

1. Checks out the repository.
2. Logs in to Docker Hub using repository secrets:
   • DOCKERHUB_USERNAME
   • DOCKERHUB_TOKEN
3. Sets up QEMU and Buildx for multi-arch builds.
4. Runs build/download.sh <gs-version> to fetch plugin ZIP files into build/resources/plugins.
5. Builds the image from build/Dockerfile using matrix build args (GeoServer version, Tomcat image, GDAL settings).
6. Pushes the image to Docker Hub under thinkwhere/geoserver:<tag>.

Step-by-step: how to publish a new Docker Hub tag

1. Open .github/workflows/main.yml.
2. In the matrix entry, update:
   • tag
   • gs-version
   • (optional) tomcat-image, gdal-version, gdal-native, tomcat-extras, platform
3. Ensure build/build-config.yml plugin lists are compatible with that GeoServer version.
4. Commit and push to master.
5. Watch the workflow run in GitHub Actions.
6. Confirm the new tag appears on Docker Hub (thinkwhere/geoserver).

Notes

• GDAL_NATIVE=true installs/copies GDAL native dependencies and ensures GDAL extension ZIP is available during build.
• GDAL_NATIVE=false skips GDAL native setup and skips GDAL extension auto-download.
• Local scripts and CI both rely on build args and config-driven values to avoid hardcoded updates in multiple places.