Empowering Webcam Functionality: GUVCView Unleashed Within a Docker Container

In this blog post, we will explore how to run a webcam using GUVCView in a Docker container on a base system running RHEL . The Docker container will be launched with the Ubuntu image, which allows us to utilize GUVCView to interact with the webcam from within the container.

What is GUVCView?

GUVCView is a simple webcam application that provides an easy-to-use graphical interface to control and access your webcam’s functionalities. It is compatible with various webcam models and supports features like video recording, capturing images, and adjusting settings like brightness, contrast, and saturation.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure you have the following:

1. RHEL installed on your base system.
2. Docker installed and running on your base system. You can install Docker on RHEL
3. by following the official Docker documentation.

Setting Up the Docker Container.

Let’s start by setting up the Docker container . Here I have used ubuntu image.

1. Pull the Ubuntu image from Docker Hub by running the following command in your terminal:

docker pull ubuntu

Create a Docker container based on the Ubuntu image using the following command:

docker run -it --device=/dev/video0:/dev/video0 ubuntu /bin/bash

In this command, we use the --device flag to map the host webcam device (/dev/video0) to the container's webcam device (/dev/video0). The /bin/bash argument allows us to access the container's terminal.

Installing GUVCView in the Container

Now that the container is up and running, we can install GUVCView and the necessary dependencies to interact with the webcam.

Update the package list and install required packages by running the following commands:

apt-get update
apt-get install -y guvcview

Launch GUVCView using the following command:

guvcview

A graphical interface should appear, showing the live stream from your webcam.

Using GUVCView

Once GUVCView is running, you can perform various operations with your webcam through the graphical interface. Some common functionalities include:

• Recording Video: You can start and stop video recording by clicking the “Record” button.
• Taking Snapshots: Capture images from the webcam by clicking the “Snapshot” button.
• Adjusting Settings: GUVCView allows you to modify webcam settings such as brightness, contrast, saturation, and more through the “Controls” tab.

Closing GUVCView and Exiting the Container

To close GUVCView and exit the container, simply close the GUVCView graphical interface. Then, type exit in the terminal, and you will return to the base system's terminal.

Conclusion

In this blog post, we have learned how to run a webcam using GUVCView in a Docker container. We started by setting up the Docker container based on the Ubuntu image and then installed GUVCView to interact with the webcam. GUVCView provides an intuitive graphical interface to perform various webcam operations, making it a handy tool for working with webcams in Docker containers.

Now you can experiment with GUVCView and integrate webcam functionalities into your Docker applications.

Happy coding!