# Instaling Gplates using docker

**URL:** <https://discourse.gplates.org/t/instaling-gplates-using-docker/3274>\
**Category:** Docs\
**Created:** [4 August 2026 13:33 UTC](https://discourse.gplates.org/t/instaling-gplates-using-docker/3274 "2026-08-04T13:33:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BernardoPeixoto](https://discourse.gplates.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/ce7236/32.png) [@BernardoPeixoto](https://discourse.gplates.org/u/BernardoPeixoto)\
**Post date:** [4 August 2026 13:33 UTC](https://discourse.gplates.org/t/instaling-gplates-using-docker/3274/1 "2026-08-04T13:33:43Z")

</div>

Hi everyone,

I recently ran into a common problem: The `.deb` package for **GPlates 2.5.0** is built specifically for **Ubuntu 24.04 (Noble)**, but my host system is running **Kubuntu 26.04**.

Because the library versions on my host (like `libboost`, `libgdal`, etc.) are newer or named differently, `apt` and `dpkg` fail with dependency errors:

> `Depends: libboost-program-options1.83.0 ... but it is not installable` `Depends: libgdal34t64 ...`

Trying to downgrade system libraries is risky and would likely break the installation. **Don’t try this!**

**The Solution:** Running GPlates inside a **Docker container based on Ubuntu 24.04**. This creates an isolated environment where the exact dependencies required by the `.deb` file are available, without touching my host system.

Here is the step-by-step guide I used.

### **Prerequisites**

- Docker installed on your host: `sudo apt install docker.io`

- The GPlates `.deb` file: `gplates_2.5.0_ubuntu-24.04-amd64.deb`

### **Step 1: Create the Project Folder**

Create a folder (e.g., `gplates-docker`) and move your `.deb` file into it:

```bash
mkdir gplates-docker
cd gplates-docker
cp ~/Downloads/gplates_2.5.0_ubuntu-24.04-amd64.deb .

```

### **Step 2: Create the Dockerfile**

A Dockerfile is simply a file named `Dockerfile` (no extension) with instructions to build the container. It sets up Ubuntu 24.04, enables the `universe` repository, and installs all the specific dependencies GPlates 2.5.0 needs.

Create a file named `Dockerfile` and paste this content:

```auto
# Start with the official Ubuntu 24.04 image
FROM ubuntu:24.04

# Prevent interactive prompts during installation
ENV DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive

# Phase 1: Update the base lists and enable 'universe'
RUN apt-get update && \
    apt-get install -y software-properties-common && \
    add-apt-repository universe && \
    # CRITICAL: Update again to fetch package lists for the newly added 'universe' repo
    apt-get update && \
    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*

# Phase 2: Install all dependencies (including the newly discovered ones)
RUN apt-get update && \
    apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
    libboost-program-options1.83.0 \
    libboost-python1.83.0 \
    libboost-python1.83.0-py312 \
    libgdal34t64 \
    libpython3.12t64 \
    libqt5opengl5t64 \
    libqwt-qt5-6 \
    libgl1 \
    libglu1-mesa \
    libx11-6 \
    libxext6 \
    libxrender1 \
    libxrandr2 \
    libxcursor1 \
    libxi6 \
    libxtst6 \
    libglib2.0-0 \
    libsm6 \
    libice6 \
    libpulse0 \
    libglvnd0 \
    libegl1 \
    libgles2 \
    # The 3 new missing packages
    libglew2.2 \
    libqt5xml5t64 \
    libqt5xmlpatterns5 \
    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*

# Copy your .deb file into the container
COPY gplates_2.5.0_ubuntu-24.04-amd64.deb /tmp/gplates.deb

# Install the .deb file and fix dependencies
RUN dpkg -i /tmp/gplates.deb || apt-get install -f -y && \
    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* /tmp/gplates.deb

# Set the entry point
ENTRYPOINT ["gplates"]

```

### **Step 3: Build the Image**

Run the build command in the folder where the `Dockerfile` and the `.deb` file are located. This might take a few minutes:

```bash
docker build --no-cache -t gplates-docker-img .

```

### **Step 4: Create a Launcher Script**

To make it easy to run, create a script in your `~/.local/bin` folder.

1. **Create the directory if needed:**

2. **Create the script file:** `nano` is a text editor that runs within the terminal:

3. **Paste this content** (this handles the X11 display forwarding):

4. **Save and exit:** Press `Ctrl+O`, then `Enter` to save, and `Ctrl+X` to exit.

5. **Make it executable:**

### **Step 5: Run GPlates**

Now you can launch GPlates just like a normal app:

```bash
gplates-docker

```

I hope this helps others who want to keep updating their Kubuntu installation while still using GPlates!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BernardoPeixoto](https://discourse.gplates.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/ce7236/32.png) [@BernardoPeixoto](https://discourse.gplates.org/u/BernardoPeixoto)\
**Post date:** [4 August 2026 13:46 UTC](https://discourse.gplates.org/t/instaling-gplates-using-docker/3274/2 "2026-08-04T13:46:12Z")

</div>

It is possible to get **GPU acceleration** in applications running in docker containers instead of relying on the slower CPU rendering.

By default, Docker containers cannot access your NVIDIA GPU unless you install the **NVIDIA Container Toolkit (open-source!)**. Here is the official, step-by-step method to enable it, verified against the latest documentation:

> **[Installing the NVIDIA Container Toolkit — NVIDIA Container Toolkit](https://docs.nvidia.com/datacenter/cloud-native/container-toolkit/latest/install-guide.html)**

### **Update Your GPlates Launcher Script**

After installing the container toolkit, it is necessary to update the launcher script tell Docker to use the GPU.

**1. Edit the script:**

```bash
nano ~/.local/bin/gplates-docker

```

**2. Add `--gpus all`** to the `docker run` command. It should look like this:

```bash
#!/bin/bash
xhost +local:docker >/dev/null 2>&1

# Added '--gpus all' below
docker run --rm -it \
  --gpus all \
  -e DISPLAY=$DISPLAY \
  -v /tmp/.X11-unix:/tmp/.X11-unix \
  gplates-docker-img "$@"

```

**3. Save and Exit:** (`Ctrl+O`, `Enter`, `Ctrl+X`).

### **Step 4: Run GPlates**

Now launch GPlates:

```bash
gplates-docker

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mchin](https://discourse.gplates.org/user_avatar/discourse.gplates.org/mchin/32/2_2.png) [@mchin](https://discourse.gplates.org/u/mchin)\
**Post date:** [24 September 2026 01:19 UTC](https://discourse.gplates.org/t/instaling-gplates-using-docker/3274/3 "2026-09-24T01:19:46Z")

</div>

I have created a docker image for the GPlates desktop [https://hub.docker.com/repository/docker/gplates/gplates/general](https://hub.docker.com/repository/docker/gplates/gplates/general).

Run `docker run --platform linux/amd64 -p 6080:6080 -v `pwd`:/workspace gplates/gplates`

And then open this link [http://localhost:6080/vnc.html](http://localhost:6080/vnc.html) in a web browser