Photo by Jonathan Sanchez on Unsplash

Photo by Jonathan Sanchez on Unsplash

Package applications in Docker containers

Neat Packages

Article from ADMIN 68/2022
By
Kaboxer packages applications that are otherwise missing from distribution package sources.

The way distributions deliver software is changing. The new package formats (e.g., Flatpak and Snap) are becoming more and more widespread, and for many reasons, containers are becoming increasingly important, even in the everyday lives of average desktop users.

Developers want to see their software reach users more quickly without having to create packages in different formats. Some approaches allow you to install multiple versions of a program simultaneously. Sandboxing as a security feature can play a role, or isolating apps so that they do not interfere with other programs.

Additionally, not all software can be easily packaged and kept up to date with the use of traditional package formats, especially for distributions like Kali Linux that ship hundreds of highly specialized applications. Many of these applications are not available in the Debian repository, and others are difficult to package (e.g., because they expect outdated libraries that virtually no distribution now includes).

To address these problems, Kaboxer, a Docker and DEB package-based application developed for Kali Linux, which specializes in penetration tests and digital forensics, transparently deploys difficult-to-package applications in Docker containers within the Debian packaging system.

Kaboxer

Kaboxer [1] is short for Kali applications boxer. Kali Linux is based on Debian and uses its package manager. The Kaboxer framework extends the Debian package system to include containers but integrates them into the existing system and controls them transparently.

The developers emphasize the compatibility of this approach with other Debian variants in the documentation. They create Docker images of the applications, which they link with classic Debian packages. During the installation, these packages then download the images. To create the DEBs, the

...
Use Express-Checkout link below to read the full article (PDF).

Buy this article as PDF

Express-Checkout as PDF
Price $2.95
(incl. VAT)

Buy ADMIN Magazine

SINGLE ISSUES
 
SUBSCRIPTIONS
 
TABLET & SMARTPHONE APPS
Get it on Google Play

US / Canada

Get it on Google Play

UK / Australia

Related content

comments powered by Disqus