docker-containerization

Docker Containerization

Write production-grade Dockerfiles with multi-stage builds, security hardening, and size optimization. Covers docker-compose for local development, image layer caching, health checks, and the patterns that separate a 2GB image from a 50MB one.

When to Use

Use for:

• Writing Dockerfiles from scratch or improving existing ones
• Multi-stage builds for compiled languages (Go, Rust, TypeScript)
• Docker Compose for local development environments
• Image size optimization (choosing base images, layer caching)
• Docker security scanning and hardening
• Development vs production Dockerfile patterns
• Debugging container build failures
• .dockerignore optimization

NOT for:

• Kubernetes deployment/orchestration (different domain)
• Cloud-specific container services (ECS, Cloud Run, App Runner)
• CI/CD pipeline configuration (use github-actions-pipeline-builder)
• Container networking beyond docker-compose
• Docker Swarm

Dockerfile Decision Tree

flowchart TD
    Start[What are you building?] --> Lang{Language/runtime?}
    Lang -->|Node.js/TypeScript| Node[Node pattern]
    Lang -->|Python| Python[Python pattern]
    Lang -->|Go| Go[Go pattern]
    Lang -->|Rust| Rust[Rust pattern]
    Lang -->|Static site| Static[Static pattern]

    Node --> NQ{Need build step?}
    NQ -->|Yes, TypeScript/bundler| MultiNode[Multi-stage: build + runtime]
    NQ -->|No, plain JS| SingleNode[Single stage with slim base]

    Python --> PQ{Package manager?}
    PQ -->|pip| PipPattern[pip + venv pattern]
    PQ -->|uv| UvPattern[uv pattern — fastest]
    PQ -->|poetry| PoetryPattern[poetry export pattern]

    Go --> GoMulti[Multi-stage: build + scratch/distroless]
    Rust --> RustMulti[Multi-stage: build + debian-slim]
    Static --> StaticMulti[Multi-stage: build + nginx/caddy]

Production Patterns by Language

Node.js / TypeScript (Multi-Stage)

# Stage 1: Dependencies
FROM node:22-alpine AS deps
WORKDIR /app
COPY package.json package-lock.json ./
RUN npm ci --only=production

# Stage 2: Build (TypeScript/bundler)
FROM node:22-alpine AS build
WORKDIR /app
COPY package.json package-lock.json ./
RUN npm ci
COPY . .
RUN npm run build

# Stage 3: Production
FROM node:22-alpine AS production
WORKDIR /app
ENV NODE_ENV=production

# Security: non-root user
RUN addgroup -g 1001 -S nodejs && \
    adduser -S nextjs -u 1001

COPY --from=deps /app/node_modules ./node_modules
COPY --from=build /app/dist ./dist
COPY package.json ./

USER nextjs
EXPOSE 3000

HEALTHCHECK --interval=30s --timeout=3s --start-period=5s \
  CMD wget -qO- http://localhost:3000/health || exit 1

CMD ["node", "dist/index.js"]