Docker

Docker is a leading containerization platform for building, shipping, and running applications. Follow these best practices to ensure secure, efficient, and maintainable Docker images and workflows.

Best Practices for Docker Development

1. Use Official Base Images

Start from trusted, minimal images (e.g., alpine, ubuntu, node:slim).
Example:
```
FROM python:3.11-slim
```

2. Minimize Image Size

Remove unnecessary packages and files.
Use multi-stage builds to keep images lean.

Example:

FROM node:20 AS build
WORKDIR /app
COPY . .
RUN npm ci && npm run build

FROM nginx:alpine
COPY --from=build /app/dist /usr/share/nginx/html

3. Leverage .dockerignore

Exclude files and directories not needed in the image (e.g., .git, node_modules, tests).
Example:
```
node_modules
.git
tests
*.md
```

4. Use Non-Root Users

Avoid running containers as root for security.

Example:

RUN adduser --disabled-password appuser
USER appuser

5. Pin Versions

Specify exact versions for base images and dependencies to ensure reproducibility.
Example:
```
FROM nginx:1.25.3-alpine
```

6. Layer Caching

Order Dockerfile instructions to maximize build cache efficiency (install dependencies before copying source code).

7. Health Checks

Add HEALTHCHECK instructions to monitor container health.

Example:

HEALTHCHECK CMD curl --fail http://localhost:8080/health || exit 1

8. Multi-Arch Builds

Use docker buildx for building images for multiple architectures (amd64, arm64).

Example:

docker buildx build --platform linux/amd64,linux/arm64 -t myapp:latest .

9. Scan Images for Vulnerabilities

Use tools like docker scan, Trivy, or Snyk to check for vulnerabilities.
Example:
```
trivy image myapp:latest
```

10. Use Environment Variables for Configuration

Avoid hardcoding secrets or config in images. Use environment variables and secret managers.

Real-Life Example: Secure, Lean Dockerfile

FROM node:20-alpine
WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm ci --only=production
COPY . .
USER node
EXPOSE 3000
CMD ["node", "server.js"]

Best Practices for Docker Usage

Use Docker Compose for local development and multi-container apps.
Tag images with semantic versions (e.g., myapp:1.2.3) and avoid using latest in production.
Clean up unused images and containers regularly (docker system prune).
Store Dockerfiles and Compose files in version control (Git).
Use CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, Azure Pipelines, GitLab CI) to automate builds, tests, and pushes to registries.
Push images to secure registries (Docker Hub, AWS ECR, Azure ACR, GCP Artifact Registry).

Common Pitfalls

Building large images with unnecessary files
Running containers as root
Not scanning images for vulnerabilities
Hardcoding secrets in Dockerfiles
Using unpinned or outdated base images

References

PreviousContainerization Overview NextDockerfile Best Practices

Last updated 6 months ago