---
title: Run ROS 2 in a container
linkTitle: Run ROS 2
weight: 10
keywords: ros2, robotics, docker, dockerfile, devcontainer, vscode, workspace
description: Run ROS 2 in an isolated Docker container using official ROS 2 images and install additional ROS 2 packages.
---

## Overview

In this section, you will run ROS 2 in an isolated Docker container using official ROS 2 images, verify that ROS 2 is working, and install additional ROS 2 packages for development and testing.

---

## Run ROS 2 in a container

The fastest way to get started with ROS 2 is to use the [official Docker image](https://hub.docker.com/_/ros/). To pull an image, start a container, and open an interactive bash shell:

1. Pull and run the official ROS 2 Docker image:

   ```console
   $ docker run -it ros:humble
   ```

   This guide uses the Humble distribution. You can replace `humble` with another supported distribution such as `rolling`, `jazzy`, or `iron`.

   > [!NOTE]
   >
   > This environment is temporary and does not maintain persistence.
   > Any files you create or packages you install will be deleted once the container is stopped or removed.

2. Verify ROS 2 is working:

   ```console
   $ echo $ROS_DISTRO
   ```

   You should see output similar to:

   ```text
   humble
   ```

## Install ROS 2 packages

The official ROS 2 images include core packages. To install additional packages, use the `apt` package manager:

1. Update the package manager:

   ```console
   $ sudo apt update
   ```

2. Install the desired package:

   ```console
   $ sudo apt install $PACKAGE_NAME
   ```

Replace `$PACKAGE_NAME` with any package you want to install.

Some commonly used packages include:

- `ros-humble-turtlesim` - Visualization and simulation tool
- `ros-humble-rviz2` - 3D visualization tool
- `ros-humble-rqt` - Qt-based ROS graphical tools
- `ros-humble-demo-nodes-cpp` - C++ demo nodes
- `ros-humble-demo-nodes-py` - Python demo nodes
- `ros-humble-colcon-common-extensions` - Build system extensions

## Summary

In this section, you pulled an official ROS 2 Docker image, launched an interactive session, and extended the container's capabilities by installing additional ROS 2 packages using apt.

## Next steps

In the next section, you will configure a persistent workspace to ensure your code and modifications are saved across sessions.
