[Bug]: ARM64 Docker image crashes on startup (GLIBC_2.38 not found by sqlite3) #775

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opened 2026-03-13 23:11:30 +00:00 by IbbyLabs · 9 comments

IbbyLabs commented

2026-03-13 23:11:30 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

/app/node_modules/bindings/bindings.js:121
        throw e;
        ^
Error: /lib/aarch64-linux-gnu/libm.so.6: version `GLIBC_2.38' not found (required by /app/node_modules/sqlite3/build/Release/node_sqlite3.node)
    at Object..node (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1970:18)
  code: 'ERR_DLOPEN_FAILED'
}

Root Cause:
The precompiled ARM64 sqlite3 binary that npm downloads requires GLIBC_2.38. However, the base image being used in the Dockerfile (node:24, which currently defaults to Debian Bookworm) ships with an older version of glibc. When Node.js tries to load the database engine, it crashes the container.

Suggested Fixes:
I was able to fix this locally by cloning the repo and modifying the Dockerfile.
Option 1: Force sqlite3 to build from source (Easiest)
By appending --build-from-source=sqlite3 to the production install step in the Dockerfile, npm will compile the C++ binary against the container's native glibc rather than downloading the incompatible prebuilt binary.

Change this:

RUN npm ci --only=production

# To this:
RUN npm ci --only=production --build-from-source=sqlite3

Option 2: Update the Base Image OS
Switching the base image to a modern OS that natively includes GLIBC_2.38 or newer (like Ubuntu 24.04) would allow the prebuilt sqlite3 binaries to run right out of the box.

I recently tried spinning up the latest webstreamr/webstreamr Docker image on an ARM64 Oracle Server, but the container immediately gets stuck in a crash loop on startup. The issue seems to be a glibc version mismatch with the prebuilt sqlite3 binary pulled during the image build process. Error Logs: When checking the container logs, it instantly throws this ERR_DLOPEN_FAILED error: ``` /app/node_modules/bindings/bindings.js:121 throw e; ^ Error: /lib/aarch64-linux-gnu/libm.so.6: version `GLIBC_2.38' not found (required by /app/node_modules/sqlite3/build/Release/node_sqlite3.node) at Object..node (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1970:18) code: 'ERR_DLOPEN_FAILED' } ``` Root Cause: The precompiled ARM64 sqlite3 binary that npm downloads requires GLIBC_2.38. However, the base image being used in the Dockerfile (node:24, which currently defaults to Debian Bookworm) ships with an older version of glibc. When Node.js tries to load the database engine, it crashes the container. Suggested Fixes: I was able to fix this locally by cloning the repo and modifying the Dockerfile. Option 1: Force sqlite3 to build from source (Easiest) By appending `--build-from-source=sqlite3` to the production install step in the Dockerfile, npm will compile the C++ binary against the container's native glibc rather than downloading the incompatible prebuilt binary. # Change this: ``` RUN npm ci --only=production # To this: RUN npm ci --only=production --build-from-source=sqlite3 ``` Option 2: Update the Base Image OS Switching the base image to a modern OS that natively includes GLIBC_2.38 or newer (like Ubuntu 24.04) would allow the prebuilt sqlite3 binaries to run right out of the box.

derrickb commented

2026-03-14 08:21:15 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

I am on Ubuntu 24.04 but got this same error after updating the image this morning.

webstreamr commented

2026-03-14 08:37:08 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

Sorry for that. Can you check if it's better now, please?

Naumanbo commented

2026-03-14 12:02:08 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

I am getting the same issue after the latest release. I am also on Ubuntu 24.04