docker

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Docker and containerization best practices including multi-stage builds, security, and Docker Compose.

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[Cloud Infrastructure]

When & Why to Use This Skill

This Claude skill provides comprehensive guidance on Docker and containerization best practices, focusing on optimizing image size through multi-stage builds, enhancing security protocols, and streamlining multi-container orchestration with Docker Compose. It helps developers and DevOps engineers build production-ready, secure, and high-performance container environments by following industry-standard patterns.

Use Cases

  • Optimizing Docker Images: Implementing multi-stage builds and layer caching to significantly reduce image size and accelerate deployment cycles.
  • Enhancing Container Security: Configuring non-root users, managing secrets, and selecting secure base images to minimize the attack surface of containerized applications.
  • Orchestrating Multi-Service Apps: Using Docker Compose best practices to define and manage complex, multi-container environments for development and production.
  • Improving CI/CD Efficiency: Leveraging BuildKit and .dockerignore files to optimize build performance and ensure consistent environments across the software development lifecycle.
namedocker
descriptionDocker and containerization best practices including multi-stage builds, security, and Docker Compose.
globs["**/Dockerfile", "**/docker-compose.yml", "**/docker-compose.yaml", "**/.dockerignore"]
priority80
tags["devops"]

Docker Best Practices

Dockerfile

  • Use specific base image tags (not :latest)
  • Use multi-stage builds for smaller images
  • Minimize layers (combine RUN commands)
  • Copy package.json first for caching
  • Run as non-root user
  • Use .dockerignore

Example Multi-stage Build

FROM node:20-alpine AS builder
WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm ci
COPY . .
RUN npm run build

FROM node:20-alpine AS runner
WORKDIR /app
RUN addgroup -g 1001 nodejs
RUN adduser -S nodejs -u 1001
COPY --from=builder /app/dist ./dist
USER nodejs
CMD ["node", "dist/index.js"]

Docker Compose

  • Use version 3.8+
  • Define healthchecks
  • Use named volumes for persistence
  • Configure restart policies
  • Use environment files

Security

  • Scan images for vulnerabilities
  • Don't run as root
  • Use secrets for sensitive data
  • Keep base images updated
  • Use distroless/alpine images

Performance

  • Use BuildKit
  • Leverage layer caching
  • Use .dockerignore
  • Minimize image size