Setting up docker containers with apps from AppSource

For a long time, we have been looking for a solution to be able to set up a docker environment, and then download the necessary apps from AppSource.

Why?

For different reasons. Like, to set up a development environment. I know we can do that in an online sandbox, but .. we’re already doing this on docker for OnPrem development, so if we could simply set up dev environments for any kind of development we do – in a uniform way – including for SaaS development – well, docker would be my choice. I mean: a developer shouldn’t care where the app ends up – he just needs to create his feature, and then the CI/CD pipelines should take care of the rest. Where it is deployed .. why should a developer care?
And … since we’re talking about CI/CD pipelines – that is actually the main reason why we need to be able to set up docker containers with AppSource apps. Because that’s what we need to validate. Against multiple versions of those apps as well, by the way! And running pipelines against online sandboxes is simply not a valid, structured, scalable approach for the future. We need docker for that, and we need DevOps to be able to get to the AppSource apps “somehow”.

So .. how do we do it?

Well, you don’t. There is no way you can install AppSource apps into docker containers at this point. The only way we can do somewhat decent pipelines against those AppSource apps, is to try to contact the companies from those apps, and pray they are willing to give us runtime apps (in a decent timeframe), which we need for symbols. But that’s nowhere near convenient, let alone scalable.

So .. did you just waste my time?

No. We know Microsoft basically needs to make that available. Like .. they could “simply” provide an API where we can download the runtime apps (which, I believe, they can even build themselves as well – or at least they could make it a requirement). But .. they might need some “convincing” that we need it (like .. yesterday ;-)).

Tobias has been so kind to create an idea for it, which we can vote for! And here it is: Microsoft Idea · Ability to downloaded a runtime package for a given version from AppSource

The title of this post might have falsely excited you a bit. And that was the intention. Just to get you to vote 😉
So – please vote :-)!

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.waldo.be/2021/03/03/setting-up-docker-containers-with-apps-from-appsource/

4 comments

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    • Chris Watson on March 3, 2021 at 11:41 am
    • Reply

    Just to get the context here, are you therefore indicating that it IS possible to automate install from AppSource to Saas-sandbox at the moment but NOT docker-sandbox?

      • waldo on March 3, 2021 at 4:11 pm
        Author

      Indeed.
      How to do it on a sandbox is explained here: https://freddysblog.com/2021/02/15/running-tests-in-business-central-online-sandbox-environments/

    • ML on July 6, 2023 at 2:42 pm
    • Reply

    Does anyone know if there is any news from Microsoft on this topic?

      • waldo on July 10, 2023 at 2:58 pm
        Author

      not that I know of, unfortunately 🙁

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