Docker: Managing Docker contexts in bash scripts

This documentation is part of the Advanced context usages guide. You can view the complete guide here: How to use Docker contexts in your scripts.

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Here is an example of how to set the Docker context within a bash script:

#!/bin/bash
set -e

DOCKER_CONTEXT=<XXXXXX>.stackhero-network.com

echo "IP from Docker for Stackhero instance:"
docker run --rm alpine wget -q -O - ifconfig.me

By setting the DOCKER_CONTEXT environment variable, you can conveniently manage the active context directly in your scripts.

To avoid hardcoding the DOCKER_CONTEXT, you can load its value from a .env file. This method keeps environment settings organised and facilitates adjustments:

#!/bin/bash
set -e

source .env

echo "IP from Docker for Stackhero instance:"
docker run --rm alpine wget -q -O - ifconfig.me

Create a .env file with the following contents:

DOCKER_CONTEXT=<XXXXXX>.stackhero-network.com