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Custom Snapshot Setup

The SDK also allows us to set up a snapshot with specific instructions and configurations, which can be reused across different instances. Eacg setup step is also cached as a snapshot, meaning that redundant steps are skipped in subsequent runs. This is particularly useful for creating a consistent environment for running tasks or applications.

Example: Docker and Nginx Setup

The example below installs Docker, configures a Docker network, runs two containerized services (a headless Chrome and an NGINX proxy), then creates a final snapshot. An instance is then started using the snapshot, and a browser service is exposed for running a task.

#!/usr/bin/env python3
# Example: Custom Snapshot Setup with Morph Cloud

import os
import asyncio
from morphcloud.api import MorphCloudClient

client = MorphCloudClient()

# Create a snapshot with resource requirements and an identifying digest.
snapshot = client.snapshots.create(
    vcpus=1,
    memory=4096,
    disk_size=8192,
    digest="chromebox-1-1",
)
# Chain setup steps; each step is cached.
snapshot = (
    snapshot.setup("apt update -y")
    .setup("apt install -y docker.io")
    .setup("systemctl enable docker")
    .setup("systemctl start docker")
    .setup("docker network create morph-net")
    .setup(
        "docker run -d --network morph-net --name headless-chrome "
        "zenika/alpine-chrome "
        "--headless --no-sandbox --disable-gpu --disable-dev-shm-usage "
        "--remote-debugging-port=9222 --remote-debugging-address=0.0.0.0"
    )
    .setup(
        """\
cat <<'EOF' > /tmp/default.conf
server {
  listen 80;
  location / {
    proxy_pass http://headless-chrome:9222;
    proxy_http_version 1.1;
    proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
    proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
    proxy_set_header Host localhost;
  }
  location /json/ {
    proxy_pass http://headless-chrome:9222;
    proxy_http_version 1.1;
    proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
    proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
    proxy_set_header Host localhost;
    proxy_set_header Accept-Encoding "";
    sub_filter_types application/json;
    sub_filter_once off;
    sub_filter "ws://localhost" "wss://$http_host";
  }
}
EOF
"""
    )
    .setup(
        "docker run -d --network morph-net --name chrome-proxy "
        "-p 9222:80 "
        "-v /tmp/default.conf:/etc/nginx/conf.d/default.conf:ro "
        "nginx:alpine"
    )
)
    
# Start an instance using the snapshot.
with client.instances.start(snapshot.id, ttl_seconds=3600) as instance:
    url = instance.expose_http_service("browser", 9222)
    print(f"Instance ID: {instance.id}")
    print(f"Browser service URL: {url}")
    browser = Browser(config=BrowserConfig(cdp_url=url))
    try:
        yield browser
    finally:
        pass

Explanation

  • Snapshot Creation:
    A snapshot is created with defined resources (vCPUs, memory, disk) and a digest identifier (chromebox-1-1).

  • Chained Setup:
    The .setup() method is chained to perform commands such as updating packages, installing Docker, and configuring services. Each step is cached so that subsequent runs skip steps that haven’t changed.

  • Instance Startup:
    An instance is started with the snapshot, and a browser service is exposed for use. The instance is automatically managed by the context manager.