Docker Cloud is a proxy for the Docker API which automatically creates and destroys cloud virtual machines to run your docker containers.

If you are running Docker on OS X or Windows, there is no longer any need to install a virtualization layer like vagrant on your machine. You can simply run it in the cloud. Additionally, if you want to easily turn up and down containers into a cloud workspace that lasts longer than your laptop, this is also straightforward.

For now only Google Compute Engine, but the code is factored in such a way to make it easy to add other cloud providers.

I'm glad you asked.

git clone https://github.com/proppy/docker-cloud.git

go get github.com/proppy/docker-cloud

There are different instructions for different cloud providers.

If you don't already have a Google Cloud Project, you can get one on the Google Cloud Console

Create a new Client ID for Installed Application in the APIs/credentials section.

Assuming $GOPATH/bin is in your $PATH:

docker-cloud -project <your-google-cloud-project-here> -id <your-credentials-client-id> -secret <your-credentials-secret>

The first time you run the proxy, you will receive a URL and be prompted to visit it to obtain an authorization code. Once you do this, run the proxy again:

docker-cloud -project <your-google-cloud-project-here> -code <auth-code-here>

The code will be cached, and you should never have to do go through that step again and can simple call:

docker-cloud -project <your-google-cloud-project-here>

Use the -H flag on your docker client to connect to the proxy:

docker -H tcp://localhost:8080 run ehazlett/tomcat7