Dagger Workshop - Prerequisites and Setup

workshop.md

Welcome to Dagger!

Hello, and welcome to the Dagger workshop!

This document gives you all the information you need to get your laptop configured and ready to code with Dagger!

Agenda

In this 90-minute workshop, you will build a simple CI pipeline for a GitHub project using Dagger. You will:

• Understand what Dagger is
• Build a working CI pipeline with build/test/publish functionality using Python (no YAML or shell scripts!)
• Run the pipeline locally on your laptop
• Transfer the pipeline to GitHub Actions
• Run the pipeline in GitHub Actions
• Learn how to inspect pipeline runs, identify bottlenecks, and debug failures

Prerequisites

Before we get started, make sure you have the following:

• A laptop with internet access
• Basic knowledge of Docker and CI/CD pipelines (helpful, but not mandatory)
• A GitHub account
• A code editor (VS Code recommended)

Required Setup

1. Install Docker

   Dagger requires a container runtime installed on the system. This can be Docker, Podman, nerdctl, or other Docker-like systems. We recommend Docker for this workshop.

   Install Docker

2. Install Docker Compose

   Docker Compose is required to explore the sample project used in the workshop.

   Install Docker Compose

3. Install Dagger

   The Dagger CLI is your primary entrypoint to Dagger. It lets you call the Dagger API from the command line.

   Install Dagger

4. Verify Dagger installation

   Run the following commands in your terminal to verify your Dagger installation and get a sneak peek at Dagger in action:

   dagger version

   You should see the installed Dagger CLI's version number.

   dagger core container \
     from --address=alpine \
     with-exec --args=apk,add,curl \
     with-exec --args=curl,https://dagger.io \
     stdout

   You should see Dagger starting an alpine container and printing the output of the Dagger home page.

Optional Setup

NOTE: The steps below are not mandatory, but will improve your Dagger workshop experience.

1. Configure your code editor

   Dagger lets you write CI pipelines in any supported programming language in your code editor, allowing you to benefit from features like type-checking and intelligent code completion.

   Configure your code editor

2. Configure Dagger Cloud

   Dagger Cloud is Dagger's browser-based dashboard focused on tracing and debugging Dagger workflows. It requires a GitHub or Google account for identity verification. A free plan is available.

   Sign up for Dagger Cloud, then configure Dagger Cloud

3. Say "Hi!" to the Dagger team in Discord

   The Dagger Discord is Dagger's official community server, where Dagger users - we call them "Daggernauts" - can ask questions, share knowledge, and collaborate. Come by and say hello to us!

   Join the Discord

Problems?

Ping @vikram_dagger in Discord for help!

Let's Go!

You're all set! Let's build some pipelines - together!