# Using balena-cli with concourse CI

**URL:** <https://forums.balena.io/t/using-balena-cli-with-concourse-ci/34318>\
**Category:** Product support\
**Created:** [September 26, 2019, 7:09am UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/using-balena-cli-with-concourse-ci/34318 "2019-09-26T07:09:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![arschlegel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@arschlegel](https://forums.balena.io/u/arschlegel)\
**Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 7:09am UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/using-balena-cli-with-concourse-ci/34318/1 "2019-09-26T07:09:36Z")

</div>

Hi!

I want to build a balena application using balena-cli running concourse CI.  
I tried several things now:

- Docker image with installed balena-cli and docker using docker-image resource
- using a concourse docker-image, then downloaded balena-cli release from github
- running a dind concourse resource and running my docker image with preinstalled balena-cli

In many cases concourse will refuse to handle the whole construct correctly in other cases after a successully balena login i get the error `Docker seems to be unavailable. Is it installed and running?`

So, am i the first person who tries to manage their balena releases with concourse CI or is there a way someone ever found out how to do that?

My latest concourse task definition looks something like that:

```auto
---
resources:
- name: balena-cli
  type: docker-image
  source:
    repository: ((registry))/balena-cli/11.9.7
    ca_certs: {{docker_registry_ca_cert}}
    tag: latest
...

jobs:
...
- task: Build-Balena-Release
    privileged: true
    config:
      platform: linux
      image_resource:
        type: docker-image
        source:
          repository: amidos/dcind
      inputs:
      - name: balena-cli
      - name: install
      - name: source
      outputs:
      - name: output
      run:
        path: bash
        args:
          - -exc
          - |
            source /docker-lib.sh
            start_docker
            export BALENA_API_KEY=((balena_api_key))
            docker load -i balena-cli/image
            docker tag "$(cat balena-cli/image-id)" "$(cat balena-cli/repository):$(cat balena-cli/tag)"
            export ROOT=$(pwd)
            cp -rv $ROOT/source/building/docker/ $ROOT/output/
            cp -rv $ROOT/install $ROOT/output/docker/images/balena/app/output
            cd $ROOT/output/docker/images/balena/app
            docker run --rm -it ((registry)/balena-cli/11.9.7:latest sh -c "export DEBUG=1; balena login -t $BALENA_API_KEY && balena deploy app --build"

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![roman-mazur](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/balena/user_avatar/forums.balena.io/roman-mazur/32/2194_2.png) [@roman-mazur](https://forums.balena.io/u/roman-mazur)\
**Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 8:28am UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/using-balena-cli-with-concourse-ci/34318/3 "2019-09-26T08:28:51Z")

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Hi @arschlegel ,  
This seems to be quite an interesting project 🙂

So let me clarify a bit what exactly you are doing. You want to build balena app images without our builders, using your own infrastructure with ConcourceCI. Am I getting this right?

Speaking about your problem,

> In many cases concourse will refuse to handle the whole construct correctly in other cases after a successully balena login i get the error Docker seems to be unavailable. Is it installed and running?

Have you tried running some different pipeline that uses docker on Concourse? So you can eliminate balena-cli from the equation and make sure that Concourse setup is done right.

---

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**Author:** ![nazrhom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee59a6/32.png) [@nazrhom](https://forums.balena.io/u/nazrhom)\
**Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 8:57am UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/using-balena-cli-with-concourse-ci/34318/6 "2019-09-26T08:57:23Z")

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Hey @arschlegel I think the latest error you report happens because docker might be missing, or might not be started correctly in the `((registry)/balena-cli/11.9.7:latest` container. I think the first approach you mention should be the one to follow here: you can build an image with docker and balena-cli, and then use that as the image\_resource for your task (also don’t forget to include [https://github.com/concourse/docker-image-resource/blob/master/assets/common.sh](https://github.com/concourse/docker-image-resource/blob/master/assets/common.sh) and `start_docker` in there as a first step)  
Let me know if this makes sense or what kind of errors pop up when attempting this solution.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![arschlegel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@arschlegel](https://forums.balena.io/u/arschlegel)\
**Post date:** [September 27, 2019, 6:02am UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/using-balena-cli-with-concourse-ci/34318/8 "2019-09-27T06:02:13Z")

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HI!

thanks for the replies!  
i got it working yesterday. Only thing missing was the mounted docker socket to my docker balena image (with preinstalled docker ce).  
For the concourse job i am using the docker in docker image `amidos/dcind`  
Concourse does the pull of the balena image, saves it and passes the image as input to the job. This way pulling from a private registry with a self signed certificate is way more easy than importing the certificate within the dind task.  
The rest is pretty straight forward:

1. Let docker import the passed image
2. Copy all stuff together to the places where the balena Dockerfile needs them
3. `balena login` with the token and then `balena deploy`.

```auto
  - task: Build-and-Deploy-Balena-Release
    privileged: true
    config:
      platform: linux
      image_resource:
        type: docker-image
        source:
          repository: amidos/dcind
      inputs:
      - name: balena-cli
      - name: install
      - name: source
      outputs:
      - name: output
      run:
        path: bash
        args:
          - -exc
          - |
            # Install openssl and get and import the servers self signed certificate
            apk upgrade --update-cache --available
            apk add openssl
            source /docker-lib.sh
            mkdir -p /etc/docker/certs.d/<registry>
            echo -n | openssl s_client -connect <registry>:443 | \
            sed -ne '/-BEGIN CERTIFICATE-/,/-END CERTIFICATE-/p' > /etc/docker/certs.d/<registry>/ca.crt 
            # Start the docker daemon and importing the recently pulled image by concourse (input: balena-cli)
            start_docker
            docker load -i balena-cli/image
            docker tag "$(cat balena-cli/image-id)" "$(cat balena-cli/repository):$(cat balena-cli/tag)"
            # Do the actual work: Copy and run balena-cli from the container
            export BALENA_API_KEY=((balena_api_key))
            export ROOT=$(pwd)
            cp -rv $ROOT/source/building/docker/ $ROOT/output/
            cp -rv $ROOT/install/* $ROOT/output/docker/images/balena/<app>/output
            cd $ROOT/output/docker/images/balena/<app>
            docker run --rm -it -v $(pwd):/build -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock \
            <registry>/balena-cli/11.9.7:latest \
            sh -c "export DEBUG=1; balena login -t $BALENA_API_KEY && balena deploy <app> --build"

```

I am importing the self signed certificate here anyway because i am using some image for my balena Dockerfile that comes from my private docker registry. If i had a official signed certificate this step would not be necessary.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![spanceac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@spanceac](https://forums.balena.io/u/spanceac)\
**Post date:** [September 27, 2019, 8:22am UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/using-balena-cli-with-concourse-ci/34318/10 "2019-09-27T08:22:41Z")

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Hi,

We are happy to know that you made it work.

Feel free to contact us in the future if you need further help.

Regards!