# Unable to build docker image because of vtk

**URL:** https://discourse.vtk.org/t/unable-to-build-docker-image-because-of-vtk/16085
**Category:** Support
**Tags:** python
**Created:** [October 7, 2025, 2:47pm UTC](https://discourse.vtk.org/t/unable-to-build-docker-image-because-of-vtk/16085 "2025-10-07T14:47:49Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![teflon](https://discourse.vtk.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/ed8c4c/32.png) [@teflon](https://discourse.vtk.org/u/teflon)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2025, 2:47pm UTC](https://discourse.vtk.org/t/unable-to-build-docker-image-because-of-vtk/16085/1 "2025-10-07T14:47:49Z")

</div>

Hey all,

I have a poetry project which needs a library called pyoma-2 (^1.2.0). This package uses vtk. My docker image does not build because of this error I get:

```auto
138.0 Unable to find installation candidates for vtk (9.3.1)
138.0
138.0 at /opt/poetry/venv/lib/python3.10/site-packages/poetry/installation/chooser.py:74 in choose_for
138.0 70│
138.0 71│ links.append(link)
138.0 72│
138.0 73│ if not links:
138.0 → 74│ raise RuntimeError(f"Unable to find installation candidates for {package}")
138.0 75│
138.0 76│ # Get the best link
138.0 77│ chosen = max(links, key=lambda link: self._sort_key(package, link))
138.0 78│
138.0
138.0 Cannot install vtk.
138.0
------

 1 warning found (use docker --debug to expand):
 - UndefinedVar: Usage of undefined variable '$PYTHONPATH' (line 34)
Dockerfile:66
--------------------
  65 | # install runtime deps to $VIRTUAL_ENV
  66 | >>> RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache \
  67 | >>> poetry lock && poetry install --no-root --only main
  68 | COPY client/ client/
--------------------
ERROR: failed to solve: process "/bin/sh -c poetry lock && poetry install --no-root --only main" did not complete successfully: exit code: 1

```

```auto
################################
# PYTHON-BASE
# Sets up all our shared environment variables
################################
FROM python:3.10.14-slim AS python-base

    # Python
ENV PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1 \
    # pip
    PIP_DISABLE_PIP_VERSION_CHECK=on \
    PIP_DEFAULT_TIMEOUT=100 \
    \
    # Poetry
    # https://python-poetry.org/docs/configuration/#using-environment-variables
    POETRY_VERSION=1.8.3 \
    # make poetry install to this location
    POETRY_HOME="/opt/poetry" \
    # do not ask any interactive question
    POETRY_NO_INTERACTION=1 \
    # never create virtual environment automaticly, only use env prepared by us
    POETRY_VIRTUALENVS_CREATE=false \
    \
    # this is where our requirements + virtual environment will live
    VIRTUAL_ENV="/venv"

# prepend poetry and venv to path
ENV PATH="$POETRY_HOME/bin:$VIRTUAL_ENV/bin:$PATH"

# prepare virtual env
RUN python -m venv $VIRTUAL_ENV

# working directory and Python path
WORKDIR /app
ENV PYTHONPATH="/app:$PYTHONPATH"

################################
# BUILDER-BASE
# Used to build deps + create our virtual environment
################################
FROM python-base AS builder-base
RUN apt-get update && \
    apt-get install -y \
    apt-transport-https \
    gnupg \
    ca-certificates \
    build-essential \
    git \
    nano \
    curl \
    docker.io \
    net-tools \
    && apt-get clean

# install poetry - respects $POETRY_VERSION & $POETRY_HOME
# The --mount will mount the buildx cache directory to where
# Poetry and Pip store their cache so that they can re-use it
RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache \
    curl -sSL https://install.python-poetry.org | python -

# used to init dependencies
WORKDIR /app
COPY poetry.lock pyproject.toml ./

# install runtime deps to $VIRTUAL_ENV
RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache \
    poetry lock && poetry install --no-root --only main
COPY client/ client/

################################
# DEVELOPMENT
# Image used during development / testing
################################
FROM builder-base AS development

WORKDIR /app

# quicker install as runtime deps are already installed
RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache \
    poetry lock && poetry install --no-root --with test,lint

CMD ["bash"]

################################
# PRODUCTION
# Final image used for runtime
################################
FROM python-base AS production
RUN apt-get update && \
    apt-get install -y \
    nano \
    curl \
    docker.io \
    net-tools \
    libgl1 \
    libglib2.0-0 \
    && apt-get clean
# copy in our built poetry + venv
COPY --from=builder-base $POETRY_HOME $POETRY_HOME
COPY --from=builder-base $VIRTUAL_ENV $VIRTUAL_ENV

WORKDIR /app
COPY poetry.lock pyproject.toml ./
COPY client/ client/

COPY entrypoint.sh /app/entrypoint.sh
RUN chmod +x /app/entrypoint.sh
ENTRYPOINT ["/app/entrypoint.sh"]

CMD ["python", "run_job.py"]

```

Not really sure what I am doing wrong. I appreciate any help.

best, teflon

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![mwestphal](https://discourse.vtk.org/user_avatar/discourse.vtk.org/mwestphal/32/19_2.png) [@mwestphal](https://discourse.vtk.org/u/mwestphal)
#### Post date: [October 8, 2025, 6:07am UTC](https://discourse.vtk.org/t/unable-to-build-docker-image-because-of-vtk/16085/2 "2025-10-08T06:07:51Z")

</div>

There is a python wheel for vtk 9.3.1 and `pip install vtk==9.3.1` works as expected.  
The issue is not in VTK, you probably have something to fix in your setup.