Easy Setup: Oracle 23ai Free Database, APEX, ORDS and sqlCL in Docker

In this guide, I will walk you through the process of setting up Oracle 23ai Free Database, Oracle APEX (Application Express), ORDS (Oracle REST Data Services) and oracle sqlCL in a Docker container. The VM Appliance comes preloaded with these tools, but this guide focuses on the Docker environment for flexibility and ease of use.

Step 1: Install Docker Ensure you have Docker installed on your system. You can check the version or install Docker using the following commands:

docker version / docker --version
# OR
sudo yum install docker -y

Step 2: Pull and Run Oracle 23ai Free Database Container Pull the Oracle 23ai Free Database Docker image and run it with specific port mappings to avoid conflicts:

docker pull container-registry.oracle.com/database/free:latest
docker run -d -it --name 23aifree -p 8521:1521 -p 8500:5500 -p 8023:8080 -p 9043:8443 -p 9922:22 -e ORACLE_PWD=oracle container-registry.oracle.com/database/free:latest
docker exec -it 23aifree /bin/bash

Step 3: Setup Oracle APEX Inside the container, download and install Oracle APEX:

curl -o apex-latest.zip https://download.oracle.com/otn_software/apex/apex-latest.zip
unzip apex-latest.zip
rm apex-latest.zip
cd apex

Step 4: Configure Oracle APEX Allow the Oracle Database to settle, then open SQL*Plus and set the PDB:

sqlplus / as sysdba
ALTER SESSION SET CONTAINER = FREEPDB1;
@apexins.sql SYSAUX SYSAUX TEMP /i/
ALTER USER APEX_PUBLIC_USER IDENTIFIED BY oracle ACCOUNT UNLOCK;
@apxchpwd.sql
exit

Step 5: Set Up ORDS and Java Install necessary tools, create folders, and configure ORDS:

mkdir /home/oracle/software
mkdir /home/oracle/software/apex
mkdir /home/oracle/software/ords
mkdir /home/oracle/scripts
cp -r /home/oracle/apex/images /home/oracle/software/apex

su
dnf update -y
dnf install sudo -y
dnf install nano -y

nano /etc/sudoers
# Add 'Defaults !lecture' in Defaults section
# This is to supress banner message
# Add 'oracle ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL' at the end
# This is to add oracle user in sudoes list 
# so that user oracle can execute sudo command without password

dnf install java-17-openjdk -y
java -version

mkdir /etc/ords
mkdir /etc/ords/config
mkdir /home/oracle/logs
chmod -R 777 /etc/ords

yum-config-manager --add-repo=http://yum.oracle.com/repo/OracleLinux/OL8/oracle/software/x86_64
dnf install ords -y
export _JAVA_OPTIONS="-Xms512M -Xmx512M"
ords --config /etc/ords/config install

# Follow the configuration steps
Installation Type > Choose option [2] Enter
Connection Type > Choose option [1] Enter
host name > Enter
listen port > Enter
service name > FREEPDB1
administrator username > SYS
password > oracle
default tablespace > Enter
temp tablespace > Enter
features > Enter
Start ORDS > [1] Enter <-- Standalone Mode
protocol > [1] < http
port > [1] <-- 8080
Static Resources > /home/oracle/software/apex/images

ORDS will then be configured. It will take 1-2 mins. You should now see below.

Oracle REST Data Services version : 23.1.0.r0861423 Oracle REST Data Services server info: jetty/10.0.12 Oracle REST Data Services java info: OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM 17.0.6+10-LTS

you can now check http://localhost:8023/ords/ in the browser for the apex.

Step 6: Create Startup and Shutdown Scripts.

Create scripts for starting, stopping, and to auto-start ORDS:

# Create an ORDS startup script
nano /home/oracle/scripts/start_ords.sh
# Paste in the script
export ORDS_HOME=/usr/local/bin/ords
export _JAVA_OPTIONS="-Xms512M -Xmx512M"
LOGFILE=/home/oracle/logs/ords-`date +"%Y""%m""%d"`.log
nohup ${ORDS_HOME} --config /etc/ords/config serve >> $LOGFILE 2>&1 & echo "View log file with : tail -f $LOGFILE"

# Create a stop_ords.sh file
nano /home/oracle/scripts/stop_ords.sh
# Paste in the script
kill `ps -ef | grep [o]rds.war | awk '{print $2}'`

# create script to start ords automatically when image runs
nano /opt/oracle/scripts/startup/01_auto_ords.sh
# Paste this in the script
sudo sh /home/oracle/scripts/start_ords.sh
exit

Step 7: Final Steps and Enjoy.

Exit the Docker container, restart the container, and access APEX, and install sqlCL if needed:

exit
docker restart 23aifree
# Wait 60 seconds and access APEX at localhost:8023/ords/apex
# Workspace > INTERNAL
# Username > ADMIN
# Password > The Complex Password

Now you can also install sqlCL if you want -

dnf install sqlcl -y
# check if sqlcl installed properly
# sql sys/oracle as sysdba
SQL> help
SQL> exit

Bonus: Commit, Tag, and Push Docker Image Optionally, if you want to save your setup:

docker commit 23aifree apex:latest
docker tag apex:latest panigrahisantosh/apex:latest
docker push panigrahisantosh/apex:latest

# Note : Here panigrahisantosh is my docker hub username.
# you can replace this with username.
# Finally as this new image is in docker hub. you can always pull and use -
> docker pull panigrahisantosh/apex:latest

Conclusion: Following this comprehensive guide will enable you to run Oracle 23ai Free Database with APEX and ORDS in a Docker container, providing a flexible and scalable environment for your development needs. Enjoy the seamless integration of these powerful tools and enhance your database development experience.