page_title: Building a Docker Image with MongoDB
page_description: How to build a Docker image with MongoDB pre-installed
page_keywords: docker, example, package installation, networking, mongodb

# Building an Image with MongoDB

> **Note**: 
> 
> - This example assumes you have Docker running in daemon mode. For
>   more information please see [*Check your Docker
>   install*](../hello_world/#running-examples).
> - **If you don't like sudo** then see [*Giving non-root
>   access*](/installation/binaries/#dockergroup)

The goal of this example is to show how you can build your own Docker
images with MongoDB pre-installed. We will do that by constructing a
Dockerfile that downloads a base image, adds an
apt source and installs the database software on Ubuntu.

## Creating a Dockerfile

Create an empty file called Dockerfile:

    $ touch Dockerfile

Next, define the parent image you want to use to build your own image on
top of. Here, we'll use [Ubuntu](https://index.docker.io/_/ubuntu/)
(tag: `latest`) available on the [docker
index](http://index.docker.io):

    FROM    ubuntu:latest

Since we want to be running the latest version of MongoDB we'll need to
add the 10gen repo to our apt sources list.

    # Add 10gen official apt source to the sources list
    RUN apt-key adv --keyserver hkp://keyserver.ubuntu.com:80 --recv 7F0CEB10
    RUN echo 'deb http://downloads-distro.mongodb.org/repo/ubuntu-upstart dist 10gen' | tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/10gen.list

Then, we don't want Ubuntu to complain about init not being available so
we'll divert `/sbin/initctl` to
`/bin/true` so it thinks everything is working.

    # Hack for initctl not being available in Ubuntu
    RUN dpkg-divert --local --rename --add /sbin/initctl
    RUN ln -s /bin/true /sbin/initctl

Afterwards we'll be able to update our apt repositories and install
MongoDB

    # Install MongoDB
    RUN apt-get update
    RUN apt-get install mongodb-10gen

To run MongoDB we'll have to create the default data directory (because
we want it to run without needing to provide a special configuration
file)

    # Create the MongoDB data directory
    RUN mkdir -p /data/db

Finally, we'll expose the standard port that MongoDB runs on, 27107, as
well as define an `ENTRYPOINT` instruction for the
container.

    EXPOSE 27017
    ENTRYPOINT ["usr/bin/mongod"]

Now, lets build the image which will go through the
Dockerfile we made and run all of the commands.

    $ sudo docker build -t <yourname>/mongodb .

Now you should be able to run `mongod` as a daemon
and be able to connect on the local port!

    # Regular style
    $ MONGO_ID=$(sudo docker run -d <yourname>/mongodb)

    # Lean and mean
    $ MONGO_ID=$(sudo docker run -d <yourname>/mongodb --noprealloc --smallfiles)

    # Check the logs out
    $ sudo docker logs $MONGO_ID

    # Connect and play around
    $ mongo --port <port you get from `docker ps`>

Sweet!