Docker Agent

The Docker Agent provides the same functionality as the Native Agent but runs in an isolated Docker container. It is the right choice for edge gateways or servers where you already manage your infrastructure with Docker.

Key differences

• Containerized execution: Runs in an isolated Docker container instead of directly on the host operating system.

• Environment configuration: Unlike the Native Agent, the Docker Agent does not include built-in credentials. Provide them as environment variables at startup.

• Hardware and network access: To reach local networks, USB devices, or persist data, use standard Docker features like host networking or volume mounting.

• Platform independent: Runs on any platform that supports Docker.

Where to get it

The Docker Agent is available as a publicly downloadable image:

heisenware/docker-agent:<version>

Find all available versions on Docker Hub.

How to use it

Configure the following environment variables when running the container:

docker run -it \
-e HW_DOMAIN=<account>.<workspace> \
-e HW_BROKER=mqtts://<account>.heisenware.cloud \
-e HW_USERNAME=<username> \
-e HW_PASSWORD=<password> \
-e HW_AGENT_ID=<unique-id> \
heisenware/docker-agent:v91-slim

Retrieving credentials

To get HW_USERNAME and HW_PASSWORD, first add a VRPC integration in the App Manager.

Example

For an account named my-company, an integration with the username agentRunner, and the password secret:

docker run -it \
-e HW_DOMAIN=my-company.default \
-e HW_BROKER=mqtts://my-company.heisenware.cloud \
-e HW_USERNAME=agentRunner \
-e HW_PASSWORD=secret \
-e HW_AGENT_ID=my-agent-1 \
heisenware/docker-agent:v91-slim

Once the connection is established, the console shows a confirmation screen indicating the Agent is online and connected to the workspace.

Persisting data

To keep your data and configurations (such as created instances) across container restarts or updates, mount the /shared volume to a persistent location on your host machine:

-v /path/on/host:/shared