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/<repository>:<tag>
• Mirrored image: <your-namespace>/dhi-<repository>:<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 virt-handler image

This Docker Hardened Virt Handler image is a component of the KubeVirt⁠ project.

• virt-handler: Virt Handler manages virtual machine processes on each node in a KubeVirt cluster

KubeVirt extends Kubernetes with virtualization capabilities. The virt-handler is one of several KubeVirt components typically deployed by the KubeVirt operator as part of a full installation.

Run the virt-handler container

The Virt Handler is designed to run within a Kubernetes cluster as part of the KubeVirt operator deployment.

To display help information:

docker run --rm dhi.io/virt-handler:<tag> --help

Verify the deployed version by inspecting the running KubeVirt pods in your cluster:

kubectl get pods -n kubevirt -l kubevirt.io=virt-handler -o jsonpath='{.items[*].spec.containers[*].image}'

Deploy KubeVirt in Kubernetes

The recommended way to deploy KubeVirt (including virt-handler) is using the official KubeVirt operator manifests. Replace <version> with the KubeVirt release you intend to run (it should match the virt-handler version you are standardizing on).

1. Install the KubeVirt operator:

kubectl apply -f https://github.com/kubevirt/kubevirt/releases/download/<version>/kubevirt-operator.yaml

1. Create the KubeVirt custom resource:

kubectl apply -f https://github.com/kubevirt/kubevirt/releases/download/<version>/kubevirt-cr.yaml

1. Verify the deployment:

kubectl get pods -n kubevirt

Image variants

Docker Hardened Images come in different variants depending on their intended use.

Available image tags for virt-handler:

Tag selection guidance:

• Use dhi.io/virt-handler:<version> for standard production deployments
• Use major version tags (like :<major>) for automatic minor updates (not recommended for production)

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

Build-time variants typically include dev in the variant 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

FIPS variants include fips in the variant name and tag. These variants use cryptographic modules that have been validated under FIPS 140, a U.S. government standard for secure cryptographic operations.

Runtime requirements specific to FIPS:

• FIPS mode restricts cryptographic operations to FIPS-validated algorithms
• Usage of non-compliant operations (like MD5) will fail
• Larger image size due to FIPS-validated cryptographic libraries

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

Troubleshooting 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

By default image variants intended for runtime, run as the nonroot user. Ensure that necessary files and directories are accessible to the nonroot user. You may need to copy files to different directories or change permissions so your application running as the nonroot user can access them.

Privileged ports

Non-dev hardened images run as a nonroot user by default. As a result, applications in these images can't bind to privileged ports (below 1024) when running in Kubernetes or in Docker Engine versions older than 20.10.

No shell

By default, image variants intended for runtime don't contain a shell. Use dev images in build stages to run shell commands and then copy any necessary artifacts into the runtime stage. In addition, use Docker Debug to debug containers with no shell.

Entry point

Docker Hardened Images may have different entry points than images such as Docker Official Images. Use docker inspect to inspect entry points for Docker Hardened Images and update your Dockerfile if necessary.