Vanilla XFCE desktop container for Computer-Using Agents (CUA) with noVNC and computer-server. This is a lightweight alternative to the Kasm-based container with minimal dependencies.

Features

Ubuntu 22.04 (Jammy) with vanilla XFCE desktop environment
TigerVNC server for remote desktop access
noVNC for web-based VNC access (no client required)
Pre-installed computer-server for remote computer control
Python 3.11 with necessary libraries
Screen capture tools (gnome-screenshot, wmctrl, ffmpeg)
Clipboard utilities (xclip, socat)
Firefox browser with telemetry disabled

Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│   Docker Container (Ubuntu 22.04)       │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  XFCE Desktop Environment               │
│  ├── Firefox                            │
│  ├── XFCE Terminal                      │
│  └── Desktop utilities                  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  TigerVNC Server (Port 5901)            │
│  └── X11 Display :1                     │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  noVNC Web Interface (Port 6901)        │
│  └── WebSocket proxy to VNC             │
├─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  CUA Computer Server (Port 8000)        │
│  └── WebSocket API for automation       │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

Building the Container

docker build -t cua-xfce:latest .

Build and Push (multi-arch)

Use Docker Buildx to build and push a multi-architecture image for both linux/amd64 and linux/arm64 in a single command. Replace trycua with your Docker Hub username or your registry namespace as needed.

# Login to your registry first (Docker Hub shown here)
docker login

# Build and push for amd64 and arm64 in one step
docker buildx build \
  --platform linux/amd64,linux/arm64 \
  -t trycua/cua-xfce:latest \
  --push \
  .

Running the Container Manually

Basic Usage

docker run --rm -it \
  --shm-size=512m \
  -p 5901:5901 \
  -p 6901:6901 \
  -p 8000:8000 \
  cua-xfce:latest

With Custom Resolution

docker run --rm -it \
  --shm-size=512m \
  -p 5901:5901 \
  -p 6901:6901 \
  -p 8000:8000 \
  -e VNC_RESOLUTION=1280x720 \
  cua-xfce:latest

With Persistent Storage

docker run --rm -it \
  --shm-size=512m \
  -p 5901:5901 \
  -p 6901:6901 \
  -p 8000:8000 \
  -v $(pwd)/storage:/home/cua/storage \
  cua-xfce:latest

Accessing the Container

noVNC Web Interface: Open http://localhost:6901 in your browser (no password required)
VNC Client: Connect to localhost:5901 (no password required)
Computer Server API: Available at http://localhost:8000

Using with CUA Docker Provider

This container is designed to work with the CUA Docker provider. Simply specify the xfce image:

from computer import Computer

# Create computer with xfce container
computer = Computer(
    os_type="linux",
    provider_type="docker",
    image="trycua/cua-xfce:latest",  # Use xfce instead of Kasm
    display="1024x768",
    memory="4GB",
    cpu="2"
)

# Use the computer
async with computer:
    # Take a screenshot
    screenshot = await computer.interface.screenshot()

    # Click and type
    await computer.interface.left_click(100, 100)
    await computer.interface.type_text("Hello from CUA!")

    # Run commands
    result = await computer.interface.run_command("ls -la")
    print(result.stdout)

Switching between Kasm and xfce

The Docker provider automatically detects which image you're using:

# Use Kasm-based container (default for Linux)
computer_kasm = Computer(
    os_type="linux",
    provider_type="docker",
    image="trycua/cua-ubuntu:latest",  # Kasm image
)

# Use xfce container (vanilla XFCE)
computer_xfce = Computer(
    os_type="linux",
    provider_type="docker",
    image="trycua/cua-xfce:latest",  # xfce image
)

Both provide the same API and functionality - the provider automatically configures the correct paths and settings based on the image.

Environment Variables

Variable	Default	Description
`VNC_RESOLUTION`	`1024x768`	Screen resolution
`VNC_COL_DEPTH`	`24`	Color depth
`VNC_PORT`	`5901`	VNC server port
`NOVNC_PORT`	`6901`	noVNC web interface port
`API_PORT`	`8000`	Computer-server API port
`DISPLAY`	`:1`	X11 display number

Exposed Ports

5901: TigerVNC server
6901: noVNC web interface
8000: Computer-server WebSocket API

Volume Mount Points

/home/cua/storage: Persistent storage mount point
/home/cua/shared: Shared folder mount point

User Credentials

Username: cua
Password: password (for shell login only)
Sudo access: Enabled without password
VNC access: No password required

Creating Snapshots

Filesystem Snapshot

docker commit <container_id> cua-xfce-snapshot:latest

Running from Snapshot

docker run --rm -it \
  --shm-size=512m \
  -p 6901:6901 \
  -p 8000:8000 \
  cua-xfce-snapshot:latest

Comparison with Kasm Container

Feature	Kasm Container	Docker XFCE Container
Base Image	KasmWeb Ubuntu	Vanilla Ubuntu
VNC Server	KasmVNC	TigerVNC
Dependencies	Higher	Lower
Configuration	Pre-configured	Minimal
Size	Larger	Smaller
Maintenance	Depends on Kasm	Independent

Process Management

The container uses supervisord to manage three main processes:

VNC Server (Priority 10): TigerVNC with XFCE desktop
noVNC (Priority 20): WebSocket proxy for browser access
Computer Server (Priority 30): CUA automation API

All processes are automatically restarted on failure.

Troubleshooting

VNC server won't start

Check if X11 lock files exist:

docker exec <container_id> rm -rf /tmp/.X1-lock /tmp/.X11-unix/X1

noVNC shows black screen

Ensure VNC server is running:

docker exec <container_id> supervisorctl status vncserver

Computer-server not responding

Check if X server is accessible:

docker exec <container_id> env DISPLAY=:1 xdpyinfo

View logs

docker exec <container_id> tail -f /var/log/supervisor/supervisord.log
docker exec <container_id> supervisorctl status

Integration with CUA System

This container provides the same functionality as the Kasm container but with:

Reduced dependencies: No reliance on KasmWeb infrastructure
Smaller image size: Minimal base configuration
Full control: Direct access to all components
Easy customization: Simple to modify and extend

The container integrates seamlessly with:

CUA Computer library (via WebSocket API)
Docker provider for lifecycle management
Standard VNC clients for debugging
Web browsers for visual monitoring

License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details