The official Docker images for GTSAM are maintained in the borglab/docker-images repository.

The following images are available on Docker Hub, primarily under the borglab namespace:

• borglab/gtsam: A pre-compiled environment containing the latest develop branch of GTSAM. Useful for quick testing or as a base for downstream applications.

  • Source: docker-images/gtsam

• borglab/gtsam-manylinux: An environment based on manylinux2014 tailored for building Python wheels for GTSAM.

  • Source: docker-images/gtsam-manylinux

• borglab/ubuntu-boost-tbb: Base image (Ubuntu 24.04) with Boost and TBB libraries pre-installed.

  • Source: docker-images/ubuntu-boost-tbb

• CI Images: Various images used for Continuous Integration, covering different Ubuntu versions (22.04, 24.04) and compilers (Clang, GCC).

  • Source: docker-images/gtsam-ci

To start an interactive shell in a container with GTSAM pre-installed:

docker run -it borglab/gtsam:latest

The borglab/gtsam image typically includes Python bindings. To use them:

1. Start the container:

   docker run -it borglab/gtsam:latest

2. Launch Python:

   python3

3. Import GTSAM:

   import gtsam
   print(gtsam.Pose3())

To build these images locally or contribute changes, please refer to the borglab/docker-images repository. It contains the Dockerfiles and build scripts for all the images listed above.

The following files in this directory are legacy artifacts and are no longer actively maintained:

• Containerfile: Build instructions for a standalone GTSAM image (cloning from git and building from source).

• compose.yaml: A Docker Compose wrapper used for configurable builds (via .env variables like GTSAM_WITH_TBB, GTSAM_BUILD_PYTHON) and standardized image tagging.

• hub_push.sh: A utility script to iterate through configuration matrices and push multiple image variants to Docker Hub.

For official builds and the most up-to-date configurations, please refer to the borglab/docker-images repository.

TODO: Consider migrating the configurable build and matrix-pushing functionality from these legacy files into the docker-images repository to support more flexible local builds.

The gtsam-vnc image configuration is available locally in the gtsam-vnc subdirectory. This image extends the official borglab/gtsam image by adding a VNC server, allowing you to view GUI applications (like Matplotlib plots) running inside the container.

1. Navigate to the directory:

   cd gtsam-vnc
   

2. Build the image:

   You can build it using Docker Compose or directly with Docker.

   # Example using docker build
   
   docker build -t gtsam-vnc .
   

3. Run with Port Forwarding:

   Map port 5900 to access the VNC server.

   docker run -p 5900:5900 gtsam-vnc
   

4. Connect:

   Use a VNC client to connect to localhost:5900.