Shell Shortcuts and Functions

The CST environment can be enhanced with shell functions that streamline container management and daily operations. These functions provide a seamless workflow for starting, accessing, and managing CST containers.

Core Container Management

As mentioned in Getting Started, the following shell functions handle container lifecycle management. Add these to your shell's RC file (.bashrc, .zshrc, etc.):

start_cst() {
    # First argument is the variant name, defaulting to 'general'
    variant=${1:-general}
    arch=$(uname -m | grep -q "aarch64" && echo "arm" || echo "amd")

    # Run container with SSH enabled and history persistence
    docker run --name="cst_${variant}" --rm -d \
    -v $HOME/docker_work/:/persist \
    -p 50022:22 ${@:2} \
    -it tanq16/cst-${variant}:${arch} \
    bash -c "service ssh start; cp /persist/.bash_history /root/.bash_history 2>/dev/null; tail -f /dev/null"

    # Generate and set SSH password
    new_pass=$(cat /dev/random | head -c 20 | base64 | tr -d '=+/')
    echo "Password: $new_pass"
    echo $new_pass > $HOME/.cst-pw
    docker exec -e newpp="$new_pass" cst_${variant} bash -c 'echo "root:$(printenv newpp)" | chpasswd'
}

stop_cst() {
    # Gracefully stop container and preserve history
    variant=${1:-general}
    docker cp cst_${variant}:/root/.bash_history $HOME/docker_work/.bash_history 2>/dev/null
    docker stop cst_${variant} -t 0
}

# SSH alias without known host file write
alias sshide='ssh -o "StrictHostKeyChecking=no" -o "UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null"'

These functions provide:

Automatic architecture detection (ARM/AMD)
The first argument to the start_cst function will be the variant name
Command history is automatically copied on container start and stop to ensure persistence
SSH server is enabled with access to a random password stored in $HOME/.cst-pw
Additional parameters possible due to ${@:2}, where you can specify arguments from second argument onwards
Additional arguments can be new port mappings or volume mounts, etc.
A default volume in $HOME/docker_work is already mounted for persistence

Enhanced Access Functions

Additional functions can improve container access and management:

connect_cst() {
    # Direct shell access to running container
    variant=${1:-general}
    docker exec -it cst_${variant} /bin/bash
}

ssh_cst() {
    # SSH into container with dynamic port forwarding
    variant=${1:-general}
    ssh -o "StrictHostKeyChecking=no" \
        -o "UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null" \
        -D 65500 \
        root@localhost -p 50022
}

Usage Examples

Starting a Cloud variant container with extra port mapping:

start_cst cloud -p 50080:80 -p 50443:443

Accessing the container via SSH with dynamic port forwarding:

ssh_cst cloud

Adding port mapping to a running container:

connect_cst general

Advanced Configuration Tips

Persistent Configurations

Create a .cst_config file in your home directory:

# ~/.cst_config
CST_PERSIST_DIR="$HOME/docker_work"
CST_DEFAULT_PORTS="-p 50080:80 -p 50443:443"
CST_EXTRA_MOUNTS="-v $HOME/.aws:/root/.aws"

# Source this in your shell RC file
if [ -f ~/.cst_config ]; then
    source ~/.cst_config
fi

Shell Function Enhancements

Extended start function with configurations:

start_cst_enhanced() {
    variant=${1:-general}
    docker run --name="cst_${variant}" --rm -d \
    -v "${CST_PERSIST_DIR:-$HOME/docker_work}":/persist \
    -p 50022:22 \
    ${CST_DEFAULT_PORTS} \
    ${CST_EXTRA_MOUNTS} \
    ${@:2} \
    -it tanq16/cst-${variant}:${arch} \
    bash -c "service ssh start && tail -f /dev/null"
}

Best Practices

Resource Management: Create cleanup functions for maintenance

cleanup_cst() {
    docker ps -a | grep 'cst_' | awk '{print $1}' | xargs docker stop
    docker container prune -f
}

Network Security: Use SSH dynamic port forwarding for securely accessing container-internal services
```
sshide -D 65500 root@localhost -p 50022
```

Data Persistence: Structure your persistent storage

docker_work/
├── projects/
├── .bash_history
├── configs/
└── run.sh