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🐳 Docker Guide — GenAI Foundry

A step-by-step guide to running the GenAI Foundry demos using Docker. No prior Docker experience needed.

Part 1: What is Docker?

Think of Docker as a shipping container for software. Just like a shipping container holds everything needed for delivery, a Docker container holds everything your app needs to run — Python, libraries, code — all in one neat package.

Why use it?

Benefit What it means
Consistent Works the same on every computer
No conflicts Won't interfere with your other Python projects
Easy cleanup Remove everything with one command
One command Build once, run anywhere

Part 2: Install Docker Desktop

Download Docker Desktop for your operating system:

Operating System Download Link
Windows Docker Desktop for Windows
Mac (Intel) Docker Desktop for Mac
Mac (Apple Silicon) Docker Desktop for Mac
Linux Docker Desktop for Linux

After installation:

  1. Open Docker Desktop
  2. Wait for the whale icon to stop animating (this means it's ready)
  3. Verify by opening a terminal and typing: docker --version

Part 3: Running GenAI Foundry

Step 1: Get the Code

Option A: Clone with Git (recommended)

git clone https://github.com/dlwhyte/GenAI_foundry.git
cd GenAI_foundry

Option B: Download ZIP

  1. Go to https://github.com/dlwhyte/GenAI_foundry
  2. Click the green "Code" button
  3. Click "Download ZIP"
  4. Extract the ZIP file
  5. Open a terminal and navigate to the folder

Step 2: Build the Docker Image

docker build -t genai-foundry .
  • -t genai-foundry gives the image a name
  • . tells Docker to look in the current folder for the Dockerfile

This will take 3-5 minutes the first time (downloading Python, ML libraries, etc.).

Wait until you see:

Successfully built xxxxxxxxxx
Successfully tagged genai-foundry:latest

Step 3: Run the Container

Without an API key (RAG Explorer works without one):

docker run -p 8501:8501 genai-foundry

With an OpenAI API key (needed for Ontology demo + RAG Chat):

docker run -p 8501:8501 -e OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-your-key-here genai-foundry

You'll see:

You can now view your Streamlit app in your browser.
URL: http://0.0.0.0:8501

Step 4: Open the App

Open your browser and go to: http://localhost:8501

🎉 You should see the GenAI Foundry home page with all three demos!

Step 5: Stop the App

Press Ctrl+C in the terminal to stop the container.

Part 4: Common Issues & Solutions

"Docker command not found"

  • Cause: Docker isn't installed or terminal was opened before installation
  • Solution:
    1. Make sure Docker Desktop is installed
    2. Close and reopen your terminal
    3. On Windows, try restarting your computer

"Cannot connect to Docker daemon"

  • Cause: Docker Desktop isn't running
  • Solution:
    1. Open Docker Desktop application
    2. Wait for the whale icon to stop animating
    3. Try the command again

"Port 8501 is already in use"

  • Cause: Another app (or another container) is using that port
  • Solution: Use a different port: 
    docker run -p 8502:8501 genai-foundry
    Then open http://localhost:8502 instead

"COPY failed: file not found"

  • Cause: You're not in the right directory
  • Solution: Make sure you cd into the folder containing the Dockerfile: 
    cd path/to/GenAI_foundry
ls  # Should show Dockerfile, Home.py, etc.

Build is very slow

  • Cause: First-time download of Python, ML libraries, and models (~1GB+)
  • Solution: This is normal for the first build. Subsequent builds are much faster due to caching.

App works but looks different than expected

  • Cause: Browser cache
  • Solution: Hard refresh with Ctrl + Shift + R (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + Shift + R (Mac)

Part 5: Useful Docker Commands Reference

# See running containers
docker ps

# See all containers (including stopped)
docker ps -a

# Stop a container
docker stop <container_id>

# Remove a container
docker rm <container_id>

# See all images
docker images

# Remove an image
docker rmi genai-foundry

# Rebuild without cache (if you need a fresh build)
docker build --no-cache -t genai-foundry .

# Run in background (detached mode)
docker run -d -p 8501:8501 genai-foundry

# View logs of a background container
docker logs <container_id>

# Stop all running containers
docker stop $(docker ps -q)

Part 6: Cleanup

If you want to free up disk space later:

# Remove the container (after stopping it)
docker rm $(docker ps -a -q --filter ancestor=genai-foundry)

# Remove the image
docker rmi genai-foundry

# Remove all unused Docker data (careful!)
docker system prune

Quick Reference Card

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    DOCKER QUICK START                    │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  1. Open terminal                                       │
│  2. cd GenAI_foundry                                    │
│  3. docker build -t genai-foundry .                     │
│  4. docker run -p 8501:8501 genai-foundry               │
│  5. Open http://localhost:8501                           │
│  6. Ctrl+C to stop                                      │
│                                                         │
│  With API key:                                          │
│  docker run -p 8501:8501 -e OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-... \     │
│    genai-foundry                                        │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

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