Overview
Docker provides a containerized TeX Live environment, allowing you to compile the CV template without installing LaTeX packages on your system. This approach ensures consistency across different machines and operating systems.
Prerequisites
- Docker installed on your system
- Basic familiarity with Docker commands
Docker Image
The template uses the official texlive/texlive:latest Docker image, which includes a full TeX Live distribution.
Basic Usage
From the project root directory, run:
docker run --rm --user $(id -u):$(id -g) -i -w "/doc" -v "$PWD/examples":/doc texlive/texlive:latest pdflatex cv_en.tex
Command Breakdown
| Flag | Purpose |
|---|
--rm | Remove container after execution |
--user $(id -u):$(id -g) | Run as current user (preserves file ownership) |
-i | Keep STDIN open (interactive mode) |
-w "/doc" | Set working directory inside container |
-v "$PWD/examples":/doc | Mount local examples/ to container /doc |
texlive/texlive:latest | Official TeX Live Docker image |
pdflatex cv_en.tex | Command to execute inside container |
Compiling Both Versions
Compile English version
docker run --rm --user $(id -u):$(id -g) -i -w "/doc" -v "$PWD/examples":/doc texlive/texlive:latest pdflatex cv_en.tex
Compile Indonesian version
docker run --rm --user $(id -u):$(id -g) -i -w "/doc" -v "$PWD/examples":/doc texlive/texlive:latest pdflatex cv_id.tex
Verify output
Check that examples/cv_en.pdf and examples/cv_id.pdf were created.
Volume Mounting
The -v flag mounts your local examples/ directory to /doc inside the container:
- Source:
$PWD/examples (your local directory)
- Target:
/doc (container directory)
- Result: Files compiled in
/doc appear in your local examples/ directory
If you mount the wrong directory, the container won’t find your .tex files. Always verify the mount path.
User Permissions
The --user $(id -u):$(id -g) flag runs the container as your current user:
Without this flag, Docker runs as root by default, and generated files will be owned by root, requiring sudo to modify or delete them.
On Windows, you may need to adjust the user flag or omit it entirely, depending on your Docker installation.
Creating a Shell Alias
For convenience, create an alias in your ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc:
alias pdflatex-docker='docker run --rm --user $(id -u):$(id -g) -i -w "/doc" -v "$PWD":/doc texlive/texlive:latest pdflatex'
cd examples
pdflatex-docker cv_en.tex
Docker vs Local Compilation
| Aspect | Local Compilation | Docker |
|---|
| Setup | Install TeX Live (~5-7 GB) | Install Docker (~100 MB) |
| Speed | Fast (native) | Slower (container overhead) |
| Consistency | Depends on installed packages | Identical across machines |
| Disk space | TeX Live on host | Image (~3 GB) + cache |
| Internet | One-time install | Pull image once, then offline |
| Updates | Manual package updates | Pull new image version |
CI/CD Integration
The GitHub Actions workflow uses a similar approach with the xu-cheng/latex-action@v3 action, which internally uses a TeX Live Docker image:
- name: Compile English CV
uses: xu-cheng/latex-action@v3
with:
working_directory: examples
root_file: cv_en.tex
Troubleshooting
Container exits immediately
Verify that the volume mount path is correct:
# Check current directory
pwd
# Verify examples/ exists
ls examples/
Permission denied errors
Ensure you’re using the --user flag:
Image not found
Pull the image manually:
docker pull texlive/texlive:latest