Container Modes

MANYOYO supports three container modes, providing different levels of container nesting capabilities.

Note: Run profiles should be under runs.<name> in ~/.manyoyo/manyoyo.json; envFile must use absolute paths.

Mode Overview

Mode	Abbreviation	Container Nesting	Security	Use Cases
Common	`common`	❌ Not supported	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Most secure	Daily development, no container operations needed
Docker-in-Docker	`dind`	✅ Supported	⭐⭐⭐⭐ Relatively secure	Need to run containers, e.g., CI/CD
Socket Mount	`sock`	✅ Supported	⭐ Dangerous	Special scenarios, need full privileges

Common Mode (Default)

Features

No container nesting capability: Cannot run Docker/Podman commands inside container
Most secure: Completely isolated, cannot access host's container runtime
Lightweight: No additional overhead
Default mode: No parameters needed

Usage

bash

# Default is common mode
manyoyo run -y c

# Explicitly specify
manyoyo run -m common -y c
manyoyo run --cont-mode common -y c

Use Cases

Daily programming development
Code writing and testing
Tasks not involving container operations
Scenarios requiring highest security

Limitations

bash

# Cannot run inside container
docker ps        # ❌ Error: Cannot connect to Docker daemon
podman ps        # ❌ Error: Cannot connect to Podman
docker build     # ❌ Cannot build images

Configuration Example

json5

// runs.dev in ~/.manyoyo/manyoyo.json
{
    "containerMode": "common",  // Or omit (default)
    "envFile": ["/abs/path/anthropic_claudecode.env"],
    "yolo": "c"
}

Docker-in-Docker Mode

Features

Supports container nesting: Can run containers inside containers
Relatively secure: Uses independent container runtime, doesn't affect host
True isolation: Containers inside container are completely isolated from host
Performance overhead: Needs to run full container runtime inside container

Usage

bash

# Use dind mode
manyoyo run -m dind -y c
manyoyo run --cont-mode dind -y c

# Enter shell to use
manyoyo run -n dind-dev -m dind -x /bin/bash

Operations Inside Container (Quick)

bash

# Enter container
manyoyo run -n dind-dev -m dind -x /bin/bash

# Podman (recommended)
podman ps -a

# Docker (start daemon first)
nohup dockerd &
sleep 10
docker ps -a

For full workflows (architecture, performance, security, CI examples), see:
Docker-in-Docker Complete Guide

Use Cases

CI/CD builds: Need to build and test images inside containers
Multi-stage builds: Test different container configurations
Containerized application development: Develop and test containerized applications
Docker Compose: Run docker-compose inside containers

Advantages

✅ Secure isolation: Containers inside container don't affect host
✅ Environment consistency: Can reproduce complete container environment inside container
✅ Easy cleanup: Delete outer container, inner containers automatically cleaned
✅ Permission control: No need to access host's container runtime

Limitations

⚠️ Performance overhead: Needs to run full container runtime
⚠️ Image sharing: Cannot directly access host's images
⚠️ Disk usage: Images inside container occupy additional space
⚠️ Docker needs manual start: dockerd won't start automatically

Configuration Example

json5

// runs.dind in ~/.manyoyo/manyoyo.json
{
    "containerName": "my-dind",
    "containerMode": "dind",
    "envFile": ["/abs/path/anthropic_claudecode.env"],
    "volumes": [
        // Mount Docker config (optional)
        "~/.docker:/root/.docker:ro"
    ]
}

In-depth Examples

For complete configuration and end-to-end examples, see:
Docker-in-Docker Complete Guide

Socket Mount Mode (Dangerous)

Features

Direct access to host container runtime: Mounts /var/run/docker.sock
Extremely dangerous: Container can completely control host's containers
Best performance: No additional overhead
Shared images: Can directly use host's images

Usage

bash

# Use sock mode (dangerous!)
manyoyo run -m sock -x /bin/bash
manyoyo run --cont-mode sock -x /bin/bash

Danger Warning

In Socket Mount mode, the container can:

Access and manipulate all containers on the host
Create privileged containers to escape to the host
Delete or modify host's containers and images
Access data from other containers
Completely control host's container runtime

Only use in fully trusted environments!

Operations Inside Container

bash

# Enter container
manyoyo run -n sock-dev -m sock -x /bin/bash

# Directly use host's Podman/Docker
$ podman ps -a     # Shows host's containers
$ docker ps -a     # Shows host's containers
$ docker images    # Shows host's images

Use Cases

Container orchestration development: Develop Docker/Podman related tools
Container management tools: Such as Portainer, Watchtower
Special requirements: Must access host container runtime

Security Risks

Risk 1: Container Escape

bash

# Container can create privileged containers
docker run --privileged --pid=host -it ubuntu

# Access host from privileged container
nsenter -t 1 -m -u -n -i sh
# Now on the host!

Risk 2: Data Leakage

bash

# Can access data from other containers
docker cp <other-container>:/sensitive/data ./

# Can view environment variables of other containers
docker inspect <other-container> | grep -i env

Risk 3: Malicious Operations

bash

# Can delete all containers
docker rm -f $(docker ps -aq)

# Can delete all images
docker rmi -f $(docker images -q)

# Can run malicious containers
docker run -d malicious-image

Protection Measures

If you must use sock mode, take these measures:

1. Principle of Least Privilege

bash

# Only use when needed, delete container immediately after
manyoyo run -n temp-sock -m sock --rm-on-exit -x /bin/bash

2. Monitoring and Auditing

bash

# Log all operations
manyoyo run -m sock -x /bin/bash 2>&1 | tee sock-audit.log

# Regularly check containers
docker ps -a
docker images

3. Network Isolation

bash

# Restrict container network access
# Configure firewall rules on host

4. Use Read-only Mount (Some Scenarios)

bash

# If only need to view, use read-only mount
manyoyo run -v "/var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro" -x /bin/bash

Configuration Example

json5

// runs.sock in ~/.manyoyo/manyoyo.json (Use with caution!)
{
    "containerName": "my-sock",
    "containerMode": "sock",  // Dangerous!
    "envFile": ["/abs/path/anthropic_claudecode.env"]
}

Detailed Mode Comparison

Feature Comparison

Feature	Common	Docker-in-Docker	Socket Mount
Run containers inside container	❌	✅	✅
Access host images	❌	❌	✅
Access host containers	❌	❌	✅
Environment isolation	✅	✅	❌
Security	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐
Performance	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Security Comparison

Common Mode:
Host
  └─ MANYOYO Container (Complete isolation)
      └─ AI Agent
          └─ No container operation permissions

Docker-in-Docker Mode:
Host
  └─ MANYOYO Container (Isolated)
      ├─ AI Agent
      └─ Independent container runtime
          └─ Nested containers (Isolated)

Socket Mount Mode:
Host
  ├─ MANYOYO Container (Shared socket)
  │   └─ AI Agent
  │       └─ Can completely control host containers!
  └─ Other containers (May be affected)

Performance Comparison

Startup time:

Common: 1-2 seconds (Fastest)
Docker-in-Docker: 10-15 seconds (Needs to start container runtime)
Socket Mount: 1-2 seconds (Fast)

Disk usage:

Common: Base image size
Docker-in-Docker: Base image + nested container images
Socket Mount: Base image size (shares host images)

Memory usage:

Common: Base container memory
Docker-in-Docker: Base container + container runtime + nested containers
Socket Mount: Base container memory

Selection Guide

Decision Flow

Need to run containers inside container?
├─ No → Use Common mode ✅
└─ Yes → Need to access host's containers?
    ├─ No → Use Docker-in-Docker mode ✅
    └─ Yes → Fully trust operations inside container?
        ├─ No → Reconsider requirements, try to use dind
        └─ Yes → Use Socket Mount mode ⚠️ Dangerous

Troubleshooting

Common Mode

Problem: Need to run containers, but used common mode

Solution:

bash

# Switch to dind mode
manyoyo run -n new-container -m dind -y c

Docker-in-Docker Mode

Problem: docker command not available

Solution:

bash

# Use Podman (recommended, works out of the box)
podman ps

# Or manually start dockerd
nohup dockerd &
sleep 10
docker ps

Problem: Cannot pull images

Solution:

bash

# Check network
ping -c 3 docker.io

# Configure image proxy (if needed)
mkdir -p /etc/docker
cat > /etc/docker/daemon.json << 'EOF'
{
    "registry-mirrors": ["https://mirror.example.com"]
}
EOF

Socket Mount Mode

Problem: Insufficient permissions

Solution:

bash

# Check socket file permissions
ls -la /var/run/docker.sock

# Ensure user is in docker group
groups | grep docker

Problem: Accidentally deleted host containers

Solution:

bash

# Immediately stop using sock mode
manyoyo rm sock-container

# Check host container status
docker ps -a

# Restore from backup (if available)
# Or recreate necessary containers

Best Practices

1. Default to Common Mode

Unless you clearly need container nesting, use the default common mode.

2. Prefer Docker-in-Docker

If you need container nesting, prefer dind mode over sock mode.

3. Minimize Socket Mount Usage

Only use sock mode when absolutely necessary, and take security measures.

4. Use Configuration Files

Create dedicated configurations for different modes:

bash

# Common mode (default)
~/.manyoyo/manyoyo.json (runs.dev)

# dind mode
~/.manyoyo/manyoyo.json (runs.dind)

# sock mode (use with caution)
~/.manyoyo/manyoyo.json (runs.sock)

5. Document Use Cases

Document why specific modes are needed for team understanding.

Basic Usage - Learn basic commands
Configuration Examples - View configuration examples
Installation Guide - Learn about image building
Troubleshooting - Solve container issues

Container Modes ​

Mode Overview ​

Common Mode (Default) ​

Features ​

Usage ​

Use Cases ​

Limitations ​

Configuration Example ​

Docker-in-Docker Mode ​

Features ​

Usage ​

Operations Inside Container (Quick) ​

Use Cases ​

Advantages ​

Limitations ​

Configuration Example ​

In-depth Examples ​

Socket Mount Mode (Dangerous) ​

Features ​

Usage ​

Operations Inside Container ​

Use Cases ​

Security Risks ​

Risk 1: Container Escape ​

Risk 2: Data Leakage ​

Risk 3: Malicious Operations ​

Protection Measures ​

1. Principle of Least Privilege ​

2. Monitoring and Auditing ​

3. Network Isolation ​

4. Use Read-only Mount (Some Scenarios) ​

Configuration Example ​

Detailed Mode Comparison ​

Feature Comparison ​

Security Comparison ​

Performance Comparison ​

Selection Guide ​

Decision Flow ​

Recommended Solutions ​

Troubleshooting ​

Common Mode ​

Docker-in-Docker Mode ​

Socket Mount Mode ​

Best Practices ​

1. Default to Common Mode ​

2. Prefer Docker-in-Docker ​

3. Minimize Socket Mount Usage ​

4. Use Configuration Files ​

5. Document Use Cases ​

Related Documentation ​

Container Modes

Mode Overview

Common Mode (Default)

Features

Usage

Use Cases

Limitations

Configuration Example

Docker-in-Docker Mode

Features

Usage

Operations Inside Container (Quick)

Use Cases

Advantages

Limitations

Configuration Example

In-depth Examples

Socket Mount Mode (Dangerous)

Features

Usage

Operations Inside Container

Use Cases

Security Risks

Risk 1: Container Escape

Risk 2: Data Leakage

Risk 3: Malicious Operations

Protection Measures

1. Principle of Least Privilege

2. Monitoring and Auditing

3. Network Isolation

4. Use Read-only Mount (Some Scenarios)

Configuration Example

Detailed Mode Comparison

Feature Comparison

Security Comparison

Performance Comparison

Selection Guide

Decision Flow

Recommended Solutions

Troubleshooting

Common Mode

Docker-in-Docker Mode

Socket Mount Mode

Best Practices

1. Default to Common Mode

2. Prefer Docker-in-Docker

3. Minimize Socket Mount Usage

4. Use Configuration Files

5. Document Use Cases

Related Documentation