SSHFS Mount Docker Image

This Docker image provides a container-based SSHFS mount service for mounting remote filesystems over SSH.

Features

• Alpine-based: Lightweight image using Alpine Linux
• Multi-mount support: Mount multiple remote filesystems simultaneously
• Environment-driven configuration: All settings via environment variables
• SSH key authentication: Supports SSH key-based authentication
• Automatic reconnection: Built-in reconnect capability for stability
• Permission handling: Configurable UID/GID mapping for mounted filesystems

Environment Variables

Remote filesystems are configured using environment variables with the pattern:

SSHFS_REMOTE_<NAME>_<SETTING>

For each remote, you need to define:

• SSHFS_REMOTE_<NAME>_NAME - Display name for the mount (used for mount point directory)
• SSHFS_REMOTE_<NAME>_USERNAME - SSH username
• SSHFS_REMOTE_<NAME>_HOST - SSH host
• SSHFS_REMOTE_<NAME>_PATH - Remote filesystem path
• SSHFS_REMOTE_<NAME>_UID - (Optional) UID for mounted files
• SSHFS_REMOTE_<NAME>_GID - (Optional) GID for mounted files

Example

For a remote named "storage":

SSHFS_REMOTE_STORAGE_NAME=storage
SSHFS_REMOTE_STORAGE_USERNAME=user
SSHFS_REMOTE_STORAGE_HOST=storage.example.com
SSHFS_REMOTE_STORAGE_PATH=/home/user/data
SSHFS_REMOTE_STORAGE_UID=1000
SSHFS_REMOTE_STORAGE_GID=1000

This mounts user@storage.example.com:/home/user/data to /mnt/sshfs/storage.

Docker Compose Usage

services:
  sshfs-mount:
    image: techn0phil/sshfs-mount:latest
    container_name: sshfs-mount
    restart: unless-stopped
    stop_grace_period: 30s
    privileged: true
    cap_add:
      - SYS_ADMIN
    devices:
      - /dev/fuse
    volumes:
      - ${SSHFS_PRIVATE_KEY_PATH}:/root/.ssh/id_rsa:ro
      - type: bind
        source: ${SSHFS_MOUNT_PATH}
        target: /mnt/sshfs
        bind:
          propagation: rshared
    environment:
      - SSHFS_REMOTE_STORAGE_NAME=storage
      - SSHFS_REMOTE_STORAGE_USERNAME=user
      - SSHFS_REMOTE_STORAGE_HOST=storage.example.com
      - SSHFS_REMOTE_STORAGE_PATH=/home/user/data
      - SSHFS_REMOTE_STORAGE_UID=1000
      - SSHFS_REMOTE_STORAGE_GID=1000
      - SSHFS_REMOTE_BACKUP_NAME=backup
      - SSHFS_REMOTE_BACKUP_USERNAME=backupuser
      - SSHFS_REMOTE_BACKUP_HOST=backup.example.com
      - SSHFS_REMOTE_BACKUP_PATH=/backups
      - SSHFS_REMOTE_BACKUP_UID=1000
      - SSHFS_REMOTE_BACKUP_GID=1000

Building the Image

docker build -t techn0phil/sshfs-mount:latest .

Security Considerations

• SSH Keys: Mount SSH private keys as read-only volumes
• Host Key Verification: Disabled by default (StrictHostKeyChecking=no). For production, consider using a known_hosts file
• Permissions: The image runs as root, which is required for SSHFS mounting

Mount Points

Mounted filesystems are accessible at:

/mnt/sshfs/<NAME>/

Where <NAME> is the value of SSHFS_REMOTE_<REMOTE>_NAME.

Shutdown Behavior

When the container receives a stop signal, it performs a graceful cleanup:

• Unmounts SSHFS filesystems for all configured remotes
• Unmounts any additional bind/propagated mount layers on each mount point
• Removes mount point directories under /mnt/sshfs/<NAME>

This helps avoid stale mounts and busy mount directories after container shutdown.

Troubleshooting Cleanup

If unmount or cleanup is slow, increase stop_grace_period so Docker gives the container enough time to complete unmount operations.

Logs

Check container logs to verify mounts were successful:

docker logs <container-name>

Requirements

• Docker with support for FUSE (fusermount)
• Valid SSH private key for authentication
• SSH access to remote hosts