How can a script in a Docker container give a different result when run with CMD from when run in interactive mode?

I have a Docker image with GDAL installed. In the Dockerfile, the last command is CMD ["python", "script.py"]. This Python script runs gdalwarp with subprocess.run().

I ran the script in two different ways and each of them gives a different output.

From "inside" the container in interactive mode, with docker run -it <image_name> bash and then python script.py, this gives the expected output

gdalinfo output:

Driver: GTiff/GeoTIFF
Files: file.tif
       file.XML
Size is 19771, 19771
Coordinate System is:
GEOGCRS["WGS 84",
    DATUM["World Geodetic System 1984",
        ELLIPSOID["WGS 84",6378137,298.257223563,
            LENGTHUNIT["metre",1]]],
    PRIMEM["Greenwich",0,
        ANGLEUNIT["degree",0.0174532925199433]],
    CS[ellipsoidal,2],
        AXIS["geodetic latitude (Lat)",north,
            ORDER[1],
            ANGLEUNIT["degree",0.0174532925199433]],
        AXIS["geodetic longitude (Lon)",east,
            ORDER[2],
            ANGLEUNIT["degree",0.0174532925199433]],
    ID["EPSG",4326]]
Data axis to CRS axis mapping: 2,1
Origin = (16.295439814814817,48.338634259259265)
Pixel Size = (0.000004629629630,-0.000004629629630)
Metadata:
  AREA_OR_POINT=Area
  METADATATYPE=DIMAP
Image Structure Metadata:
  INTERLEAVE=PIXEL
Corner Coordinates:
Upper Left  (  16.2954398,  48.3386343) ( 16d17'43.58"E, 48d20'19.08"N)
Lower Left  (  16.2954398,  48.2471019) ( 16d17'43.58"E, 48d14'49.57"N)
Upper Right (  16.3869722,  48.3386343) ( 16d23'13.10"E, 48d20'19.08"N)
Lower Right (  16.3869722,  48.2471019) ( 16d23'13.10"E, 48d14'49.57"N)
Center      (  16.3412060,  48.2928681) ( 16d20'28.34"E, 48d17'34.32"N)
Band 1 Block=19771x1 Type=UInt16, ColorInterp=Red
Band 2 Block=19771x1 Type=UInt16, ColorInterp=Green
Band 3 Block=19771x1 Type=UInt16, ColorInterp=Blue
Band 4 Block=19771x1 Type=UInt16, ColorInterp=Undefined

Classically using the defined CMD: docker run <image_name>, which gives a different output, GDAL seems to lose the coordinate system information, as well as its order

gdalinfo output:

Driver: GTiff/GeoTIFF
Files: file.tif
       file.XML
Size is 19771, 19771
Origin = (48.247101851844533,16.386972222229545)
Pixel Size = (0.000004629629630,-0.000004629629630)
Metadata:
  METADATATYPE=DIMAP
Image Structure Metadata:
  INTERLEAVE=PIXEL
Corner Coordinates:
Upper Left  (  48.2471019,  16.3869722)
Lower Left  (  48.2471019,  16.2954398)
Upper Right (  48.3386343,  16.3869722)
Lower Right (  48.3386343,  16.2954398)
Center      (  48.2928681,  16.3412060)
Band 1 Block=19771x1 Type=UInt16, ColorInterp=Red
Band 2 Block=19771x1 Type=UInt16, ColorInterp=Green
Band 3 Block=19771x1 Type=UInt16, ColorInterp=Blue
Band 4 Block=19771x1 Type=UInt16, ColorInterp=Undefined

I am dismayed as the script and the environment is exactly the same in both cases. When I run the script from inside the container, python script.py is the first and only command I run.

What could cause such a behavior?

EDIT:

I also tried running the container in the following ways, which all give faulty outputs:

docker run <image_name> python script.py
docker run -it <image_name> python script.py
docker run <image_name> bash -c "python script.py"
docker run -it <image_name> bash -c "python script.py"
docker run <image_name> with CMD ["bash", "-c", "python script.py"]

Solution

The issue came from a missing environment variable.

See this answer on ServerFault for details.

The solution for me was to change the ENTRYPOINT in my Dockerfile (notice the -l option):

ENTRYPOINT ["/bin/bash", "-l", "-c"]