Oracle XE In Docker On Windows: An Ultimate Guide

Setting up Oracle XE in your local development environment can significantly speed up application development by giving you a powerful relational database to work with. This guide provides a straightforward approach to setting up Oracle XE using Docker on a Windows system, followed by creating a schema to start your development journey.

Table of Content

Why Use Oracle XE with Docker for Local Development?

Oracle XE is a lightweight, free version of Oracle Database that caters to the needs of developers and small-scale applications. Running it in Docker adds the benefit of containerization, allowing:

• Easy setup and cleanup.
• Isolation from your host environment.
• Seamless portability across systems.

Prerequisites

Before we dive into the setup, ensure you have the following installed on your Windows machine:

1. Docker Desktop: Download and install Docker.
2. Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL): Enable WSL if not already configured.

Containerize An Oracle Database

Step 1: Pull the Oracle XE Docker Image

The first step is to pull the Oracle XE Docker image from Oracle’s repository or Docker Hub. Open a terminal and run:

docker pull container-registry.oracle.com/database/express:21.3.0-xe

This command downloads the Oracle XE 21c image to your local system.

Step 2: Run the Oracle XE Container

Create and run a Docker container using the image you just pulled. Execute the following command:

docker container create `
   -it ` # Run the container in interactive mode
   --name [container-name] `  # Name of the container
   -p [host-port]:1521 `  # Map the port from host to container for DB
   -e ORACLE_PWD=[custom-pass] `  # Password for default user
   container-registry.oracle.com/database/express:[version]  # Image

Explanation:

• --name oracle-xe-container: Names your container for easier reference.
• -p 1521:1521: Maps the database’s port to your local machine.
• -e ORACLE_PWD=your_password_here: Sets the password for the default SYS and SYSTEM users.

After running the command, Oracle XE will initialize inside the container. It may take a few minutes to start up.

Step 3: Verify the Container is Running

To ensure the Oracle XE container is up and running, execute:

docker ps

Look for a container named oracle-xe-container in the list. If it’s not running, check the logs for any issues:

docker logs oracle-xe-container

Step 4: Connect to the Oracle XE Database

You can connect to Oracle XE using any database client, such as SQL*Plus or Oracle SQL Developer. Use the following connection details:

• Host: localhost
• Port: 1521
• Service Name: XEPDB1
• Username: SYS
• Password: The password you set with ORACLE_PWD
• Role: SYSDBA

Oracle XE database container should be up and running now. Once the database is accessible, we need to create schema.

Create an Oracle XE Schema

Step 1: Access the Oracle Database Container

First, connect to the running container:

docker exec -it <container_name_or_id> bash

Step 2: Log in to SQL*Plus

Inside the container, use the sqlplus utility to log in as the default database user (e.g., SYS or SYSTEM):

sqlplus SYS/<password>@localhost/XEPDB1 as sysdba

Replace <password> with the SYS password you provided when running the container. XEPDB1 is the default pluggable database name for Oracle XE.

Step 3: Create a New User (Schema)

A schema in Oracle is effectively a user. To create one:

CREATE USER your_schema_name IDENTIFIED BY your_password;

Step 4: Grant Privileges to the User

To allow the user to connect to the database and create objects:

GRANT CONNECT, RESOURCE TO your_schema_name;

Optionally, you can grant additional privileges as needed, such as:

GRANT DBA TO your_schema_name;

Step 5: Connect to the New Schema

Exit SQL*Plus by typing exit, and log back in as the new user:

sqlplus your_schema_name/your_password@localhost/XEPDB1

Step 6: Test the Schema

You can now create tables and other objects in the new schema:

CREATE TABLE Test (
    id NUMBER PRIMARY KEY,
    name VARCHAR2(100)
);