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With Android 4.4 KitKat, Google is upgrading linux kernel to version 3.8 which is the required kernel version for Docker.

I don't know the AUFS part but will there be a way to run docker containers on android with this update?

Adam Stelmaszczyk
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Xelom
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2 Answers2

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According to the documentation, the Android kernel is missing quite a few of the kernel features needed by LXC.

Perhaps in the future with Docker 1.x, it might be possible to write a plugin that uses Android features instead of LXC. But for now, you would need to build a custom Android kernel and then build LXC for it.

There are some people actually working on that, and Stéphane Graber has a good summary of the difficulties on his blog.

Rohan Singh
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  • How about now that [Docker is going to be based on libcontainer](http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/12/01/docker_part_2_the_libcontainer_evolution/)? – trysis Dec 23 '14 at 13:34
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    It's a different problem but similar. libcontainer likely needs some kernel features not available in Android. You'd have to try it and see what's needed. – Rohan Singh Dec 23 '14 at 14:28
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    what is the current state of this? – dimitrieh Jun 19 '16 at 20:53
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    @strages There's no reason to believe the situation has changed much. Some people are reporting success with flashing a full Linux kernel onto an Android device: https://github.com/seek-for-android/pool/wiki/AndroidContainer. – Rohan Singh Jun 29 '16 at 17:46
  • @RohanSingh thanks for the answer, however as I asked about it on the repository. That is a very old and unmaintained content link. Are there no more recent ventures? – dimitrieh Jun 30 '16 at 09:04
  • There is s new WIP evaluation on this: https://gist.github.com/arno01/ebf570af208e28c1a0cf78da4f63bc9c – StefanTo Jan 16 '20 at 03:49
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It depends if this kernel is compiled with the required features to run containers. If it's the case, then Docker could be used on Android (especially Docker 0.7, which is in release candidate state right now, and doesn't require AUFS anymore).

jpetazzo
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