Compute Images
Sciserver provides a small, curated set of Docker images that are pre‑installed with the tools most scientists need.
All images are built on top of the sciserver‑base image and are stored in our private registry.
The Dockerfiles are version‑controlled in the internal Gitlab repository https://gitlab.mpcdf.mpg.de/sciserver/images; if you have access to MPCDF’s gitlab, you can browse them to see exactly which packages are installed and make merge requests.
Image catalogue
Sciserver Base
Purpose / key packages
Core JupyterLab, Python 3.12, mamba, and the most common scientific libraries (numpy, pandas, scipy, matplotlib, astropy). No domain‑specific software.
Typical use‑case
General data‑analysis, prototyping, and as a starting point for custom images.
Heasoft
Purpose / key packages
Everything included in Sciserver Base. Adds the heasoft suite, including mamba environment for each of the main projects (ciao, fermi, spec, etc), as well as other software including, but not limited to:
Heasoft
R-software suite and environment in jupyerlab
Pimms
Simput / Sixte
This image requires that the “Xray Auxiliary Files” data volume is mounted whenever you’re creating the container. That data volume hosts the larger files needed by heaoft to run correctly.
Typical use‑case
General use of Heasoft software
esass
Purpose / key packages
Everything included in Heasoft. Adds the latest release of essas software as well as its dependency Healpix v3.50. This image is only available to users belonging to the eROSITA project.
Typical use‑case
All users belonging to the eRosita collaboration group.