Matplotlib GUIs with PyCharm's console

README.md

Interactive Matplotlib Docker

This is a proof of concept for using a GUI backend for Matplotlib from a Docker image. It assumes Linux with X11. Specifically, this requires docker run with the the following extras

• --net=host
• -v /home/$USER/.Xauthority:/root/.Xauthority
• -e DISPLAY=$DISPLAY

but these aren't options when using PyCharm's Python console, but one can use a docker-compose.yml to provide the equivalents, with the caveat that the $USER and $DISPLAY need to be updated, then configure a remote interpreter in PyCharm with the Docker Compose option pointing at the YAML file.

Non-Linux

The --net=host option isn't available outside Linux, so X11 forwarding could be used.

docker-compose.yml

version: '2'
services:
  python:
    build: ./
    network_mode: host
    environment:
      DISPLAY: "${DISPLAY}"
    volumes:
      - "${HOME}/.Xauthority:/root/.Xauthority"

Dockerfile

FROM ubuntu
RUN apt-get update \
 && apt-get install -y python3-matplotlib python3-ipython