hpccm

HPC Container Maker

HPC Container Maker (HPCCM - pronounced H-P-see-M) is an open source tool to make it easier to generate container specification files.

• Documentation
  • Getting Started
  • Tutorial
  • Recipes
  • Workflows
  • API: Building Blocks
  • API: Primitives
  • API: Miscellaneous
• Examples
• Citation
• License

Overview

HPC Container Maker generates Dockerfiles or Singularity definition files from a high level Python recipe. HPCCM recipes have some distinct advantages over "native" container specification formats.

• A library of HPC building blocks that separate the choice of what to include in a container image from the details of how it's done. The building blocks transparently provide the latest component and container best practices.

• Python provides increased flexibility over static container specification formats. Python-based recipes can branch, validate user input, etc. - the same recipe can generate multiple container specifications.

• Generate either Dockerfiles or Singularity definition files from the same recipe.

Additional Resources

• Making Containers Easier With HPC Container Maker (paper), presented at the HPC Systems Professionals Workshop at SC18
• Overview presentation at SC18 (video)
• Making Containers Easier with HPC Container Maker (webinar)
• ADMIN Magazine article by Jeff Layton
• NVIDIA Developer Blog by Scott McMillan