Docker Image of TeXLive with various versions.
This project is inspired by xu-cheng/latex-docker, which only contains the latest version of TexLive. I make this project to support the historic versions of TexLive.
Update: The xu-cheng/latex-docker repository now supports historic versions of TexLive. However, it is based on Alpine and is more suitable for CI than local development. In contrast, this project builds upon the Debian and Ubuntu platforms, rendering it more conducive to local development. This distinction arises from its robust glibc support, facilitating the installation of a wider array of software packages. Notably, this project also includes an arm64 architecture image, ensuring compatibility with Linux arm64 machines as well as MacBook equipped with Apple silicon chips.
Tags are formulated as {texlive_year}-{base_image}].
The texlive_year refers to the version of TexLive. For instance, if it is set as 2023, it means that the TexLive version being used is from 2023.
The base_image indicates the base image for the Docker image. For example, if it is set as bullseye, it signifies that this image is built on Debian Bullseye (also known as Debian 11).
Currently, we support the following choices for texlive_year and base_image:
| texlive_year | description |
|---|---|
| latest | TeX Live 2023 |
| 2023 | TeX Live 2023 |
| 2022 | TeX Live 2022 |
| 2021 | TeX Live 2021 |
| 2020 | TeX Live 2020 |
| 2019 | TeX Live 2019 |
| 2018 | TeX Live 2018 |
| base_image | description |
|---|---|
| trixie | Debian 13 |
| bookworm | Debian 12 |
| bullseye | Debian 11 |
| buster | Debian 10 |
| jammy | Ubuntu 22.04 |
| focal | Ubuntu 20.04 |
| bionic | Ubuntu 18.04 |
| xenial | Ubuntu 16.04 |
Note: You can omit one of the texlive_year and base_image part. For example:
zydou/texlive:latest # latest texlive on newest Debian
zydou/texlive:2022 # texlive-2022 on newest Debian
zydou/texlive:focal # latest texlive on Ubuntu Focal
zydou/texlive:latest-buster # latest texlive on Debian Buster
zydou/texlive:2021-jammy # texlive-2021 on Ubuntu JammyIn most cases, you can omit the base_image part and simply use the latest tag. This tag represents the latest version of TexLive built on the newest Debian release. However, if your project requires a specific texlive version, you can select the corresponding texlive_year tag. For instance, if your project needs to be compiled with texlive-2021, choose the 2021 tag.
Most of the time, you don't need to worry about it. However, on rare occasions, you may find it necessary to use an older version of Debian or Ubuntu.
Since Docker containers utilize the same kernel as the host machine, compatibility between the host kernel and container programs is crucial. For instance, if your Linux machine has a kernel version of 5.4 (such as Ubuntu 18.04) and you launch a container based on Debian Bookworm (which comes with kernel version 6.1), unexpected errors may occur. Compatibility relies on the program's requests to the kernel (system calls) and what features the program expects the kernel to support. Some program requests may cause issues while others do not. Generally speaking, newer versions of kernels are likely compatible with older OS releases but not vice versa. Typically, older debian releases are more likely to be compatible with older machines.
Based on my personal experience, I occasionally need to work on my laboratory's very old workstation running Ubuntu 16.04 (kernel version 4.4). The tags trixie (Debian 13) and bookworm (Debian 12) do not function properly on this machine. Instead, I have to use either the bullseye (Debian 11) or buster (Debian 10) tag for compatibility purposes. If you are using a relatively new machine, omitting the base_image part should be safe.
If you are using a very old machine, start by trying the latest base image to see if it works well. If not, then try older releases. The buster or xenial tag are most likely compatible with your machine. However, keep in mind that the software included in older base image may be relatively old and could potentially lack certain packages. It's important to note that when I say "the software is relatively old", I am referring to system packages like git and curl installed through apt-get install, not the texlive version. The texlive version remains the same across all different base images.
To check the versions of installed packages, you can refer to the pkg-info branch. For instance, the pkg-info/texlive-2023-amd64.csv file contains information about texlive 2023 package versions installed in the amd64 architecture image. Similarly, the pkg-info/system-bookworm-arm64.csv file provides details on system package versions of Debian bookworm installed in the arm64 architecture image.
- latex-template: LaTeX Environment with VS Code Remote-Containers and GitHub Codespaces support.