How to use this image

All examples in this guide use the public image. If you've mirrored the repository for your own use (for example, to your Docker Hub namespace), update your commands to reference the mirrored image instead of the public one.

For example:

• Public image: dhi.io/harbor-db:<tag>
• Mirrored image: <your-namespace>/dhi-harbor-db:<tag>

For the examples, you must first use docker login dhi.io to authenticate to the registry to pull the images.

What's included in this harbor-db image

This Docker Hardened harbor-db image includes:

• postgres — The PostgreSQL 15 database server daemon
• psql — The PostgreSQL interactive terminal and command-line client
• pg_dump / pg_restore — Backup and restore utilities
• pg_upgrade — In-place upgrade utility (PostgreSQL 14 to 15)
• Harbor initialization scripts — Automatic database and schema setup on first start
• Healthcheck script — Verifies the database is accepting connections

Start a harbor-db image

Harbor DB is designed to run as a component within a full Harbor deployment. The image ships with a custom entrypoint that handles database initialization and upgrades automatically.

Basic usage

Run Harbor DB with a named volume for data persistence:

$ docker run -d --name harbor-db \
  -p 5432:5432 \
  -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=changeit \
  -v harbor-db-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data \
  dhi.io/harbor-db:<tag>

With Docker Compose (recommended for Harbor deployments)

In a Harbor deployment, the database service is typically defined alongside the other Harbor components. The following example shows how to configure the Harbor DB service using the DHI image:

services:
  postgresql:
    image: dhi.io/harbor-db:<tag>
    container_name: harbor-db
    restart: always
    environment:
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: changeit
    volumes:
      - harbor-db-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "/docker-healthcheck.sh"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 3
      start_period: 30s

volumes:
  harbor-db-data:

To replace goharbor/harbor-db in an existing Harbor docker-compose.yml, update the postgresql service's image field:

services:
  postgresql:
    image: dhi.io/harbor-db:<tag>   # replaces goharbor/harbor-db:<version>

Environment variables

Differences from upstream goharbor/harbor-db

This image is a drop-in replacement for goharbor/harbor-db, but there are important differences to be aware of when migrating:

Data directory layout is unchanged:$PGDATA/pg15/ for the active cluster, $PGDATA/pg14/ during upgrades. Existing data volumes from upstream Harbor deployments are compatible.

Image variants

Docker Hardened Images come in different variants depending on their intended use. Image variants are identified by their tag.

• Runtime variants are designed to run your application in production. These images are intended to be used either directly or as the FROM image in the final stage of a multi-stage build. These images typically:

  • Run as a nonroot user
  • Do not include a shell or a package manager
  • Contain only the minimal set of libraries needed to run the app

• FIPS variants include fips in the variant name and tag. They come in both runtime and build-time variants. These variants use cryptographic modules that have been validated under FIPS 140, a U.S. government standard for secure cryptographic operations. For example, usage of MD5 fails in FIPS variants.

• Build-time variants typically include dev in the tag name and are intended for use in the first stage of a multi-stage Dockerfile. These images typically:

  • Run as the root user
  • Include a shell and package manager
  • Are used to build or compile applications

To view the image variants and get more information about them, select the Tags tab for this repository, and then select a tag.

Migrate to a Docker Hardened Image

To migrate your application to a Docker Hardened Image, you must update your Dockerfile. At minimum, you must update the base image in your existing Dockerfile to a Docker Hardened Image. This and a few other common changes are listed in the following table of migration notes.

The following steps outline the general migration process.

1. Find hardened images for your app.

   A hardened image may have several variants. Inspect the image tags and find the image variant that meets your needs.

2. Update the base image in your Dockerfile.

   Update the base image in your application's Dockerfile to the hardened image you found in the previous step. For framework images, this is typically going to be an image tagged as dev because it has the tools needed to install packages and dependencies.

3. For multi-stage Dockerfiles, update the runtime image in your Dockerfile.

   To ensure that your final image is as minimal as possible, you should use a multi-stage build. All stages in your Dockerfile should use a hardened image. While intermediary stages will typically use images tagged as dev, your final runtime stage should use a non-dev image variant.

4. Install additional packages

   Docker Hardened Images contain minimal packages in order to reduce the potential attack surface. You may need to install additional packages in your Dockerfile. Inspect the image variants to identify which packages are already installed.

   Only images tagged as dev typically have package managers. You should use a multi-stage Dockerfile to install the packages. Install the packages in the build stage that uses a dev image. Then, if needed, copy any necessary artifacts to the runtime stage that uses a non-dev image.

   For Alpine-based images, you can use apk to install packages. For Debian-based images, you can use apt-get to install packages.

Troubleshooting migration

The following are common issues that you may encounter during migration.

General debugging

The hardened images intended for runtime don't contain a shell nor any tools for debugging. The recommended method for debugging applications built with Docker Hardened Images is to use Docker Debug⁠ to attach to these containers. Docker Debug provides a shell, common debugging tools, and lets you install other tools in an ephemeral, writable layer that only exists during the debugging session.

Permissions

This image runs as postgres (uid 70). If you mount custom configuration files or data volumes, ensure they are readable by uid 70.

PostgreSQL binary paths

PostgreSQL binaries are installed under /opt/postgresql/{14,15}/bin/, matching the Docker Hardened dhi/postgres image layout, not /usr/pgsql/{14,15}/bin/ (Photon layout). If you have scripts that reference PostgreSQL binary paths directly, update them accordingly. The entrypoint and bundled scripts already use the correct paths.