Circle CI and Docker compatibility with Windows and macOS

Build Environment
1

I have a desktop application for WindowsOS and MacOS with C++ and Qt5.I usually compile it with VisualStudio or Xcode respectively.

I want:
Use custom containers with Docker for Windows and for MacOS to compile my application.

The questions are:

  • Will I have compatibility with CircleCI services running Docker?

I have already read the documentation about running custom containers, but it is still not clear to me if what I want will be possible.

  • Is it possible to run the windows docker and macOS personalized containers?

Sorry if the question is basic, but I’m studying both technologies and wanted to know if CircleCI will be compatible with what I want to do.

2

Hello,

Welcome to our community!

Docker is installed on the windows image[1] so it should work just fine. Docker is not installed on the MacOS image. Although you can install it, it will take a long time during each build.

[1] https://circleci.com/docs/2.0/hello-world-windows/#software-pre-installed-in-the-windows-image

3

Hello!

Thank you for you answer!

About WindowsOS and Qt.
If windows already has a docker installed, what would be the best way to proceed to compile using Qt?

macOS
Regarding the time of installation of the macOS image, I still have doubts:
Every time a build is going to be done, we will have to do the installation of Qt, docker and other elements we need?
Or, is there a way to use some kind of cache to reduce these build times? I read the chache info (1) also Docker Layer Caching (2) Would that help in reducing builds?

We’re looking at the best way to use CircleCI and see if it suits our needs. Thanks for your help!

(1) https://circleci.com/docs/2.0/concepts/#cache
(2) https://circleci.com/docs/2.0/glossary/#docker-layer-caching

4

Hello,

Sorry for any confusion, I am not suggesting that CircleCI is a good fit for your project, based on the information that you provided I think its not a great fit at all (especially on MacOS).