Is docker a real dependency?

[AsierGonzalez]

According to the README docker is a dependency of the wrapper. Moreover, VRE_RUNNER checks whether it is installed. However, disabling this check and running the executor works fine so I suspect docker is not really a dependency.

• Is it only required to run the basic test in /tests/basic? If so, I suggest we stop considering it a dependency.

[lrodrin]

Deleted docker dependency in VRE_RUNNER and README files.

[jmfernandez]

One question, are workflows run by this runner depending on singularity or on docker images?

[AsierGonzalez]

Do you mean if all the workflows must have DockerRequirement set?

[jmfernandez]

I have had a look at the code, and as cwltool is run with no --singularity or --no-container flag, it is assumed it is going to delegate on docker for workflow steps execution when a defined DockerRequirement is found

[AsierGonzalez]

We are working on that. We have agreed that we will be using singularity to run the containers but the feature hasn't been implemented in main yet since @lrodrin is refactoring it first. We have added it to the ag_neuroplat_hacks and we'll be porting it soon.

[AsierGonzalez]

Having said that. I now suspect that we will not be able to get rid of docker as a dependency completely, since using JavaScript Expressions requires either Node.js or docker to be available. I don't know how common this feature is but it is used by the basic test.

[jmfernandez]

Having said that. I now suspect that we will not be able to get rid of docker as a dependency completely, since using JavaScript Expressions requires either Node.js or docker to be available. I don't know how common this feature is but it is used by the basic test.

Ewwwww, that's a nasty dependency!!!! I have had a look at cwltool code, and I could not believe my eyes

https://github.com/common-workflow-language/cwltool/blob/e37134a90ac7a7c18254e30cff16da590b45c6d7/cwltool/sandboxjs.py#L80-L125

Thanks for the insight!

[AsierGonzalez]

I've spent a couple of hours today trying to figure out why the execution crashed asking me to install Node.js if I wanted to run js... 😞