How to Run Aspose.Slides for Java in Docker

Introduction

This guide explains how to containerize a Java application using Aspose Slides with Docker. Key benefits include:

  • Cross-platform compatibility - Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux
  • Dependency isolation - No system-wide installations required
  • Simplified deployment - Easy sharing and execution

1. Docker Installation

Windows

Requirements:

  • Windows 10/11 Pro/Enterprise/Education (64-bit) with WSL 2 enabled
  • For Home edition: Requires manual WSL 2 installation

Steps:

  1. Download the Docker Desktop for Windows
  2. Run the installer and follow the setup wizard
  3. Restart your computer when prompted
  4. Verify installation: 
    docker --version

macOS

Requirements:

  • macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or newer
  • Apple Silicon or Intel processor

Steps:

  1. Download the Docker Desktop for Mac
  2. Drag the application to your Applications folder
  3. Launch Docker and wait for initialization
  4. Verify installation: 
    docker --version

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)

Installation:

# Update package lists
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

# Install prerequisites
sudo apt install -y \
    apt-transport-https \
    ca-certificates \
    curl \
    software-properties-common

# Add Docker's official GPG key
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg

# Add a stable repository
echo "deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(lsb_release -cs) stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

# Install the Docker Engine
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io

# Allow the current user to run Docker commands
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker

# Verify installation
docker --version

2. Dockerfile Configuration

Base Image

FROM ubuntu:24.04

Note: Uses the official Ubuntu image from Docker Hub.

Dependencies

RUN apt-get install -y openjdk-11-jdk wget fontconfig ttf-mscorefonts-installer
  • OpenJDK 11: Java runtime environment
  • Font packages: Includes Microsoft Core Fonts

Aspose Slides Setup

ENV ASPOSE_VERSION=25.3

ENV ASPOSE_JAR=aspose-slides-${ASPOSE_VERSION}-jdk16.jar
ENV ASPOSE_URL=https://releases.aspose.com/java/repo/com/aspose/aspose-slides/${ASPOSE_VERSION}/${ASPOSE_JAR}
  • Version-pinned download of Aspose Slides library

3. Project Setup

File Structure

aspose-docker/
├── Dockerfile          # Container configuration
├── TestAspose.java     # Application code
└── output/             # Folder with generated PDFs (auto-created)

Dockerfile

Create a file named Dockerfile with:

FROM ubuntu:24.04

# Set environment variables
ENV JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java-11-openjdk-amd64
ENV PATH=$JAVA_HOME/bin:$PATH
ENV APP_DIR=/tmp
ENV ASPOSE_VERSION=25.3
ENV ASPOSE_JAR=aspose-slides-${ASPOSE_VERSION}-jdk16.jar
ENV ASPOSE_URL=https://releases.aspose.com/java/repo/com/aspose/aspose-slides/${ASPOSE_VERSION}/${ASPOSE_JAR}

# Create a working directory
RUN mkdir -p ${APP_DIR}
WORKDIR ${APP_DIR}

# Install dependencies
RUN apt-get update && \
    apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
    openjdk-11-jdk \
    wget \
    fontconfig \
    ttf-mscorefonts-installer && \
    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*

# Configure fonts
RUN echo "ttf-mscorefonts-installer msttcorefonts/accepted-mscorefonts-eula select true" | debconf-set-selections && \
    apt-get update && \
    apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends ttf-mscorefonts-installer && \
    fc-cache -f -v

# Download Aspose.Slides to /tmp
RUN wget ${ASPOSE_URL} -O ${APP_DIR}/${ASPOSE_JAR}

# Copy the source code
COPY TestAspose.java ${APP_DIR}/

# Create the run script
RUN echo '#!/bin/bash' > ${APP_DIR}/run.sh && \
    echo 'java --add-opens=java.desktop/sun.java2d=ALL-UNNAMED \' >> ${APP_DIR}/run.sh && \
    echo '     --add-opens=java.desktop/sun.awt.image=ALL-UNNAMED \' >> ${APP_DIR}/run.sh && \
    echo '     --add-opens=java.desktop/sun.font=ALL-UNNAMED \' >> ${APP_DIR}/run.sh && \
    echo '     -cp ".:'"${ASPOSE_JAR}"'" TestAspose' >> ${APP_DIR}/run.sh && \
    chmod +x ${APP_DIR}/run.sh

# Explicitly grant execute permissions to the script
RUN chmod 755 ${APP_DIR}/run.sh

# Compile the Java code
RUN javac -cp "${APP_DIR}/${ASPOSE_JAR}" ${APP_DIR}/TestAspose.java

# Set the working directory
WORKDIR /tmp

CMD ["sh", "-c", "/tmp/run.sh && cp /tmp/output/output.pdf /output"]

Java Application

Create TestAspose.java with:

import com.aspose.slides.*;

public class TestAspose {
    public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
        System.out.println("Creating presentation...");
        
        Presentation presentation = new Presentation();
        try {
            ISlide slide = presentation.getSlides().get_Item(0);
            
            IAutoShape autoShape = slide.getShapes().addAutoShape(ShapeType.Rectangle, 50, 190, 300, 25);
            autoShape.getTextFrame().setText("Greetings from Docker!");
            
            presentation.save("/tmp/output/output.pdf", SaveFormat.Pdf);
        } finally {
            if (presentation != null) presentation.dispose();
        }
        System.out.println("Presentation saved as output.pdf");
    }
}

4. Building and Running

Build the Image

Run the following command in the directory where your Dockerfile is located to build the Docker image:

docker build -t aspose-test .
  • -t names the image “aspose-test”
  • . uses the current directory’s Dockerfile

Run the Container

Run the following command in the directory where your Dockerfile is located to run the Docker container:

docker run -v "$(pwd)/output:/output" aspose-test
  • -v mounts the output directory
  • Creates output.pdf in your local output folder
Installation System Requirements