Docker Container Host

Hosting endpoints in Docker containers provides self-contained artifacts that can be deployed to multiple environments or managed by orchestration technologies such as Kubernetes. To create and host an endpoint in a Docker container, use the dotnet new template from the ParticularTemplates package. The generated project includes all required endpoint setup infrastructure, along with a Dockerfile needed to build and deploy a container hosting one endpoint.

Template overview

The nsbendpoint template creates a project that contains all of the files necessary to build an endpoint that can be deployed to Docker if the Docker container hosting model is chosen.

See details on the dotnet new nsbendpoint command for more.

license.xml

Each Docker container must include a license.xml file. A placeholder for this file is created when the template is used to generate a new endpoint project. Before building the Docker container, this placeholder must be replaced with a valid license.xml.

An endpoint running in Docker will look for the license.xml file in the same locations as it would in any other hosting scenario. By default, the dotnet new template places the license.xml in the correct location within the Docker image.

Dockerfile

This file contains the instructions for compiling the endpoint and creating the Docker image.

The endpoint will be hosted in a container that is based on the mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/core/runtime:3.1 image. After the image is built, it contains the compiled artifacts of the endpoint project and is configured to launch the endpoint when the container runs.

To compile the endpoint and build the Docker image, run the following command:

docker build -f Dockerfile -t MyEndpoint ./..

This step compiles and publishes the endpoint in Release mode:

RUN dotnet publish -c Release -o /app

The compiled endpoint is then added to the Docker image, and the container is configured to start the endpoint when it runs:

COPY --from=build /app .
ENTRYPOINT ["dotnet", "MyEndpoint.dll"]

Program.cs

The EndpointConfiguration for the endpoint is defined in the template using the .UseNServiceBus(…) method. The generated code includes TODO comments to guide further customization—these should be completed to configure the endpoint appropriately.

Additional methods are available to handle endpoint failures and exceptions. These should be modified as needed to suit the specific behavior of the endpoint.