docker-run-as-current-user.sh

# http://wiki.ros.org/docker/Tutorials/GUI
# mount /etc/group and /etc/passwd read only
# set user from $USER
docker run -ti --rm -v $(pwd):/tmp/hx -w /tmp/hx -v /etc/group:/etc/group:ro -v /etc/passwd:/etc/passwd:ro —user=$USER debian:jessie

With newer versions of docker volumes don't get mounted until after the user is assumed. However, if you use -u=$UID instead of --user=$USER it will work.

If you want to match the group id too you can do -u=$UID:$(id -g $USER)

we can use --grouo-add

#!/bin/sh

set -e
test ":$DEBUG" != :true || set -x

# set image
set -- debian:jessie "$@"

# use current user and its groups at host
for v in /etc/group /etc/passwd; do
  [ ! -r "$v" ] || set -- -v $v:$v:ro "$@"
done
set -- --user "`id -u`:`id -g`" "$@"
for g in `id -G`; do
  set -- --group-add "$g" "$@"
done
set -- -v "$HOME":"$HOME" "$@"

exec docker run --rm -it "$@"

You can even avoid to mount the passwd and group files. The user will be not recognized in the container but outside everything will be fine and however you can run whatever you want.

-u=$UID:$(id -g $USER)

I am getting I have no name! as the username inside docker :(