ddev-tightvnc

Table of Contents

• What is ddev-tightvnc?
• Installation
• Usage
• Testing
• Debugging
• Contributing
• License
• Acknowledgements

What is ddev-tightvnc?

ddev-tightvnc is a DDEV add-on that provides VNC (Virtual Network Computing) capabilities for DDEV projects via tightvncserver. This allows developers to access a graphical desktop environment within their DDEV containers. The primary motivation for this add-on is to enable developers to visually monitor browsers, such as Chrome, being controlled by automation tools like Puppeteer. However, it is versatile enough to be used for any purpose requiring a graphical interface within a DDEV container.

Key Features:

• Monitor Headless Browsers: Ideal for witnessing Chrome being controlled by Puppeteer.
• Graphical Interface: Access a minimal graphical desktop environment.
• Simple Setup: Easy to install and configure within any DDEV project.

Installation

Using ddev get

To install ddev-tightvnc, use the following commands:

ddev get thursdaybw/ddev-tightvnc
ddev restart

Accessing the VNC Server

1. Use a VNC client to connect to localhost:5901; For example vncviewer localhost:5901
2. Enter ‘password’ which has been preset during configuration.

Accessing the VNC Server

1. Use a VNC client to connect to localhost:5901; For example vncviewer localhost:5901
2. Enter ‘password’ which has been preset during configuration.

To connect using TigerVNC client without having to enter a password:

mkdir -p "~/.vnc"
echo "password" | vncpasswd -f > "${VNC_DIR}/passwd
vncviewer -passwd "~/.vnc/passwd" localhost:5901

Example Usage

To visually monitor Puppeteer controlling Chrome, follow these steps:

1. Ensure your Puppeteer script is set up to run in a non-headless mode.
2. Start your DDEV project and ensure the VNC server is running.
3. Connect to the VNC server using a VNC client to watch the automation in action.

Testing

Running Tests Locally

To run tests locally, use:

bats ./tests/test.bats

Running Tests in GitHub Actions

Tests are automatically run on push and pull request events.

Debugging

If you encounter any issues, check the logs for the VNC server and your DDEV project. Logs can be found in the following locations:

• VNC server logs: /var/log/supervisor/start-vnc.log and /var/log/supervisor/start-vnc_err.log
• DDEV project logs: As configured in your DDEV setup

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgements

• Thanks to the DDEV team for their support and contributions.