arpitg1304/robotics-agent-skills/docker-ros2-development

Name: docker-ros2-development
Author: arpitg1304

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Best practices for Docker-based ROS2 development including multi-stage Dockerfiles, docker-compose for multi-container robotic systems, DDS discovery across containers, GPU passthrough for perception, and dev-vs-deploy container patterns. Use this skill when containerizing ROS2 workspaces, setting up docker-compose for robot software stacks, debugging DDS communication between containers, configuring NVIDIA Container Toolkit for GPU workloads, forwarding X11/Wayland for rviz2 and GUI tools, or managing USB device passthrough for cameras and serial devices. Trigger whenever the user mentions Docker with ROS2, docker-compose for robots, Dockerfile for colcon workspaces, container networking for DDS, devcontainer for ROS2, multi-stage builds for ROS2, or deploying ROS2 in containers. Also trigger for CI/CD with Docker-based ROS2 builds, CycloneDDS or FastDDS configuration in containers, or shared memory in Docker. Covers Humble, Jazzy, and Rolling distributions across Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04 base images.

Install

npx vskill@latest install arpitg1304/robotics-agent-skills/docker-ros2-development

SKILL.md

Docker-Based ROS2 Development Skill

When to Use This Skill

Writing Dockerfiles for ROS2 workspaces with colcon builds
Setting up docker-compose for multi-container robotic systems
Debugging DDS discovery failures between containers (CycloneDDS, FastDDS)
Configuring GPU passthrough with NVIDIA Container Toolkit for perception nodes
Forwarding X11 or Wayland displays for rviz2 and rqt tools
Managing USB device passthrough for cameras, LiDARs, and serial devices
Building CI/CD pipelines with Docker-based ROS2 builds and test runners
Creating devcontainer configurations for VS Code with ROS2 extensions
Optimizing Docker layer caching for colcon workspace builds
Designing dev-vs-deploy container strategies with multi-stage builds

ROS2 Docker Image Hierarchy

Official OSRF images follow a layered hierarchy. Always choose the smallest base that satisfies dependencies.

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  ros:<distro>-desktop-full  (~3.5 GB)                            │
│  ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │  ros:<distro>-desktop     (~2.8 GB)                        │  │
│  │  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │  │
│  │  │  ros:<distro>-perception (~2.2 GB)                    │  │  │
│  │  │  ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────┐   │  │  │
│  │  │  │  ros:<distro>-ros-base  (~1.1 GB)              │   │  │  │
│  │  │  │  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐  │   │  │  │
│  │  │  │  │  ros:<distro>-ros-core (~700 MB)         │  │   │  │  │
│  │  │  │  └──────────────────────────────────────────┘  │   │  │  │
│  │  │  └────────────────────────────────────────────────┘   │  │  │
│  │  └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │  │
│  └────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Image Tag	Base OS	Size	Contents	Use Case
`ros:humble-ros-core`	Ubuntu 22.04	~700 MB	rclcpp, rclpy, rosout, launch	Minimal runtime for single nodes
`ros:humble-ros-base`	Ubuntu 22.04	~1.1 GB	ros-core + common_interfaces, rosbag2	Most production deployments
`ros:humble-perception`	Ubuntu 22.04	~2.2 GB	ros-base + image_transport, cv_bridge, PCL	Camera/lidar perception pipelines
`ros:humble-desktop`	Ubuntu 22.04	~2.8 GB	perception + rviz2, rqt, demos	Development with GUI tools
`ros:jazzy-ros-core`	Ubuntu 24.04	~750 MB	rclcpp, rclpy, rosout, launch	Minimal runtime (Jazzy/Noble)
`ros:jazzy-ros-base`	Ubuntu 24.04	~1.2 GB	ros-core + common_interfaces, rosbag2	Production deployments (Jazzy)

Multi-Stage Dockerfiles for ROS2

Dev Stage

The development stage includes build tools, debuggers, and editor support for interactive use.

dockerfile

FROM ros:humble-desktop AS dev
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
    build-essential cmake gdb python3-pip \
    python3-colcon-common-extensions python3-rosdep \
    ros-humble-ament-lint-auto ros-humble-ament-cmake-pytest \
    ccache \
    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
ENV CCACHE_DIR=/ccache
ENV CC="ccache gcc"
ENV CXX="ccache g++"

Build Stage

Copies only src/ and package.xml files to maximize cache hits during dependency resolution.

dockerfile

FROM ros:humble-ros-base AS build
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
    python3-colcon-common-extensions python3-rosdep \
    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
WORKDIR /ros2_ws
# Copy package manifests first for dependency caching
COPY src/my_pkg/package.xml src/my_pkg/package.xml
RUN . /opt/ros/humble/setup.sh && apt-get update && \
    rosdep install --from-paths src --ignore-src -r -y && \
    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
# Source changes invalidate only this layer and below
COPY src/ src/
RUN . /opt/ros/humble/setup.sh && \
    colcon build --cmake-args -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
      --event-handlers console_direct+

Runtime Stage

Contains only the built install space and runtime dependencies. No compilers, no source code.

dockerfile

FROM ros:humble-ros-core AS runtime
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
    python3-yaml ros-humble-rmw-cyclonedds-cpp \
    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
COPY --from=build /ros2_ws/install /ros2_ws/install
RUN groupadd -r rosuser && useradd -r -g rosuser -m rosuser
USER rosuser
COPY ros_entrypoint.sh /ros_entrypoint.sh
ENTRYPOINT ["/ros_entrypoint.sh"]
CMD ["ros2", "launch", "my_pkg", "bringup.launch.py"]

Full Multi-Stage Dockerfile

dockerfile

# syntax=docker/dockerfile:1
# Usage:
#   docker build --target dev -t my_robot:dev .
#   docker build --target runtime -t my_robot:latest .
ARG ROS_DISTRO=humble
ARG BASE_IMAGE=ros:${ROS_DISTRO}-ros-base
 
# Stage 1: Dependency base — install apt and rosdep deps
FROM ${BASE_IMAGE} AS deps
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
    python3-colcon-common-extensions python3-rosdep \
    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
WORKDIR /ros2_ws
# Copy only package.xml files for rosdep resolution (maximizes cache reuse)
COPY src/my_robot_bringup/package.xml src/my_robot_bringup/package.xml
COPY src/my_robot_perception/package.xml src/my_robot_perception/package.xml
COPY src/my_robot_msgs/package.xml src/my_robot_msgs/package.xml
COPY src/my_robot_navigation/package.xml src/my_robot_navigation/package.xml
RUN . /opt/ros/${ROS_DISTRO}/setup.sh && \
    apt-get update && \
    rosdep install --from-paths src --ignore-src -r -y && \
    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
 
# Stage 2: Development — full dev environment
FROM deps AS dev
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
    build-essential gdb valgrind ccache python3-pip python3-pytest \
    ros-${ROS_DISTRO}-ament-lint-auto \
    ros-${ROS_DISTRO}-launch-testing-ament-cmake \
    ros-${ROS_DISTRO}-rviz2 ros-${ROS_DISTRO}-rqt-graph \
    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
ENV CCACHE_DIR=/ccache CC="ccache gcc" CXX="ccache g++"
COPY src/ src/
COPY ros_entrypoint.sh /ros_entrypoint.sh
ENTRYPOINT ["/ros_entrypoint.sh"]
CMD ["bash"]
 
# Stage 3: Build — compile workspace
FROM deps AS build
COPY src/ src/
RUN . /opt/ros/${ROS_DISTRO}/setup.sh && \
    colcon build \
      --cmake-args -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DBUILD_TESTING=OFF \
      --event-handlers console_direct+ \
      --parallel-workers $(nproc)
 
# Stage 4: Runtime — minimal production image
FROM ros:${ROS_DISTRO}-ros-core AS runtime
ARG ROS_DISTRO=humble
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
    python3-yaml ros-${ROS_DISTRO}-rmw-cyclonedds-cpp \
    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
COPY --from=build /ros2_ws/install /ros2_ws/install
RUN groupadd -r rosuser && useradd -r -g rosuser -m -s /bin/bash rosuser
USER rosuser
ENV RMW_IMPLEMENTATION=rmw_cyclonedds_cpp
COPY ros_entrypoint.sh /ros_entrypoint.sh
ENTRYPOINT ["/ros_entrypoint.sh"]
CMD ["ros2", "launch", "my_robot_bringup", "robot.launch.py"]

The entrypoint script both dev and runtime stages use:

bash

#!/bin/bash
set -e
source /opt/ros/${ROS_DISTRO}/setup.bash
if [ -f /ros2_ws/install/setup.bash ]; then
    source /ros2_ws/install/setup.bash
fi
exec "$@"

Docker Compose for Multi-Container ROS2 Systems

Basic Multi-Container Setup

Each ROS2 subsystem runs in its own container with process isolation, independent scaling, and per-service resource limits.

yaml

# docker-compose.yml
version: "3.8"
 
x-ros-common: &ros-common
  environment:
    - ROS_DOMAIN_ID=${ROS_DOMAIN_ID:-0}
    - RMW_IMPLEMENTATION=rmw_cyclonedds_cpp
    - CYCLONEDDS_URI=file:///cyclonedds.xml
  volumes:
    - ./config/cyclonedds.xml:/cyclonedds.xml:ro
    - /dev/shm:/dev/shm
  network_mode: host
  restart: unless-stopped
 
services:
  rosbridge:
    <<: *ros-common
    image: my_robot:latest
    command: ros2 launch rosbridge_server rosbridge_websocket_launch.xml port:=9090
 
  perception:
    <<: *ros-common
    image: my_robot_perception:latest
    command: ros2 launch my_robot_perception perception.launch.py
    deploy:
      resources:
        reservations:
          devices:
            - driver: nvidia
              count: 1
              capabilities: [gpu]
    devices:
      - /dev/video0:/dev/video0            # USB camera passthrough
 
  navigation:
    <<: *ros-common
    image: my_robot_navigation:latest
    command: >
      ros2 launch my_robot_navigation navigation.launch.py
        use_sim_time:=false map:=/maps/warehouse.yaml
    volumes:
      - ./maps:/maps:ro
 
  driver:
    <<: *ros-common
    image: my_robot_driver:latest
    command: ros2 launch my_robot_driver driver.launch.py
    devices:
      - /dev/ttyUSB0:/dev/ttyUSB0          # Serial motor controller
      - /dev/ttyACM0:/dev/ttyACM0          # IMU over USB-serial
    group_add:
      - dialout

Service Dependencies with Health Checks

yaml

services:
  driver:
    <<: *ros-common
    image: my_robot_driver:latest
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "bash", "-c",
             "source /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash && ros2 topic list | grep -q /joint_states"]
      interval: 5s
      timeout: 10s
      retries: 5
      start_period: 15s
 
  navigation:
    <<: *ros-common
    image: my_robot_navigation:latest
    depends_on:
      driver:
        condition: service_healthy         # Wait for driver topics
 
  perception:
    <<: *ros-common
    image: my_robot_perception:latest
    depends_on:
      driver:
        condition: service_healthy         # Camera driver must be ready

Profiles for Dev vs Deploy

yaml

services:
  driver:
    <<: *ros-common
    image: my_robot_driver:latest
    command: ros2 launch my_robot_driver driver.launch.py
 
  rviz:
    <<: *ros-common
    profiles: ["dev"]
    image: my_robot:dev
    command: ros2 run rviz2 rviz2 -d /rviz/config.rviz
    environment:
      - DISPLAY=${DISPLAY}
      - QT_X11_NO_MITSHM=1
    volumes:
      - /tmp/.X11-unix:/tmp/.X11-unix:rw
 
  rosbag_record:
    <<: *ros-common
    profiles: ["dev"]
    image: my_robot:dev
    command: ros2 bag record -a --storage sqlite3 --max-bag-duration 300 -o /bags/session
    volumes:
      - ./bags:/bags
 
  watchdog:
    <<: *ros-common
    profiles: ["deploy"]
    image: my_robot:latest
    command: ros2 launch my_robot_bringup watchdog.launch.py
    restart: always

bash

docker compose --profile dev up          # Dev tools (rviz, rosbag)
docker compose --profile deploy up -d    # Production (watchdog, no GUI)

DDS Discovery Across Containers

CycloneDDS XML Config for Unicast Across Containers

When containers use bridge networking (no multicast), configure explicit unicast peer lists.

xml

<!-- cyclonedds.xml -->
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<CycloneDDS xmlns="https://cdds.io/config">
  <Domain>
    <General>
      <Interfaces>
        <NetworkInterface autodetermine="true" priority="default"/>
      </Interfaces>
      <AllowMulticast>false</AllowMulticast>
    </General>
    <Discovery>
      <!-- Peer list uses docker-compose service names as hostnames -->
      <Peers>
        <Peer address="perception"/>
        <Peer address="navigation"/>
        <Peer address="driver"/>
        <Peer address="rosbridge"/>
      </Peers>
      <ParticipantIndex>auto</ParticipantIndex>
      <MaxAutoParticipantIndex>120</MaxAutoParticipantIndex>
    </Discovery>
    <Internal>
      <SocketReceiveBufferSize min="10MB"/>
    </Internal>
  </Domain>
</CycloneDDS>

FastDDS XML Config

This is the start of the file. Read the full SKILL.md on GitHub.

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Source

SKILL.md in the repositoryCheckingskills/docker-ros2-development/SKILL.md

Popularity

Repository stars: 296
Repository forks: 40
7-day trend score: 28

Stars and forks are for the whole GitHub repository, not this skill alone. Refreshed 19 Mar 2026, 7 months ago.

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