Running Oracle DB

About

Running Oracle DB on a Mac (especially with Apple Silicon like M1/M2) can be tricky because Oracle doesn't officially support macOS. However, we can run it using Docker with the right setup. Below are our options:

Option 1: Using Manual Image Build

Use Oracle DB in Docker

Oracle provides official Docker images through GitHub.

Step 1: Clone Oracle Docker GitHub Repo

git clone https://github.com/oracle/docker-images.git
cd docker-images/OracleDatabase/SingleInstance/dockerfiles

Step 2: Download Oracle Database Installation Zip

Go to the Oracle website and download the Oracle Database zip (for example: LINUX.X64_193000_db_home.zip for 19c).

• Website: https://www.oracle.com/database/technologies/oracle-database-software-downloads.html

• Place the zip in the same folder where buildContainerImage.sh exists.

Step 3: Build Docker Image

./buildContainerImage.sh -v 19.3.0 -e

• -v 19.3.0: Version

• -e: Express Edition

This will build a Docker image like oracle/database:19.3.0-ee.

Step 4: Run the Oracle Container

docker run -d --name oracle-db \
  -p 1521:1521 -p 5500:5500 \
  -e ORACLE_PWD=MySecretPassword \
  oracle/database:19.3.0-ee

We can replace ee with xe if we built the Express Edition image.

Step 5: Connect to Oracle

• Using SQL Developer or DBeaver:

  • Host: localhost

  • Port: 1521

  • SID: ORCLCDB or Service Name: ORCLPDB1

  • Username: sys or system

  • Password: MySecretPassword

Option 2: Use Prebuilt Docker Image (Unofficial)

If we don’t want to build it ourself, we can use an unofficial Oracle XE Docker image:

docker pull gvenzl/oracle-xe:21-slim
docker run -d --name oracle-xe \
  -p 1521:1521 -p 8080:8080 \
  -e ORACLE_PASSWORD=MySecretPassword \
  gvenzl/oracle-xe:21-slim

• This image works on M1/M2 chips as well (arm64).

Execute Image in a Container

Here is how to run the container and connect using SQL Developer.

Running the container without a volume means all data is lost when the container is removed.

Step 1: Run Oracle XE Docker Container

docker run -d \
  --name oracle-xe \
  -p 1521:1521 -p 8080:8080 \
  -e ORACLE_PASSWORD=MySecretPassword \
  gvenzl/oracle-xe:18.4.0

• -p 1521:1521: For SQL connections (JDBC, SQL Developer, etc.)

• -p 8080:8080: Optional, for APEX/HTTP access

• ORACLE_PASSWORD: Sets the password for all users (e.g., system, sys)

Step 2: Connect to Oracle using SQL Developer

Open SQL Developer and create a new connection:

Field	Value
Name	oracle-xe
Username	system (or sys with role SYSDBA)
Password	MySecretPassword
Hostname	localhost
Port	1521
Service Name	XEPDB1 (default)

If XEPDB1 doesn't work, try XE (SID) — depends on the image version.

Click Test and it should say "Success".

To Check Running Status

docker logs -f oracle-xe

Look for lines like:

DATABASE IS READY TO USE!

SQL*Plus inside the container

docker exec -it oracle-xe sqlplus system/MySecretPassword@//localhost:1521/XEPDB1

Execute Image via Docker-Compose

Running the container without a volume means all data is lost when the container is removed. Here’s a docker-compose.yml file to run gvenzl/oracle-xe:18.4.0 with persistent storage using Docker volumes so that the data is persisted in volume.

docker-compose.yml

version: '3.8'

services:
  oracle-xe:
    image: gvenzl/oracle-xe:18.4.0
    container_name: oracle-xe
    ports:
      - "1521:1521"
      - "8080:8080"
    environment:
      ORACLE_PASSWORD: MySecretPassword
    volumes:
      - oracle_data:/opt/oracle/oradata
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  oracle_data:

• volumes: oracle_data:/opt/oracle/oradata

  • This maps a named Docker volume to Oracle's data directory (/opt/oracle/oradata) to persist the database files.

• restart: unless-stopped

  • Ensures the container restarts automatically after reboot/crash unless manually stopped.

How to Use

1. Save the file as docker-compose.yml.

2. Run the container:

   docker-compose up -d

3. Check logs:

   docker-compose logs -f