docker

name

docker

description

ALWAYS activate when the user's query involves Docker in any way — even if it also matches other skills. If the words docker, Dockerfile, docker-compose, compose.yml, container, or image appear in the query, this skill MUST be used. Covers: writing or editing Dockerfiles and compose files, adding services (postgres, redis, etc.) to compose, volume mounts and data persistence, docker build failures (layer caching, npm install issues), healthchecks and service startup ordering (depends_on), environment variables in containers, port mapping, container crashes and exit codes (OOM/137), non-root users, multi-stage builds, image optimization, .dockerignore, and deploying to container runtimes. Takes priority over general implementation or debugging skills when Docker infrastructure is the subject.

Docker

Project-specific containerization patterns for Dockerfile and Docker Compose.

Architecture Decisions

Image Building

1. Minimal base images — Use slim/alpine variants; pin to digest for reproducibility.
2. Multi-stage builds — Separate build dependencies from runtime.
3. Layer optimization — Combine RUN commands; place frequently changed files last.
4. COPY over ADD — ADD only for tar extraction or remote URLs.

Security

5. Non-root users — Always use UID >10000; never run as root in production.
6. No secrets in images — Use Docker secrets or runtime env injection.
7. .dockerignore required — Exclude .git, .env, node_modules, build artifacts.

Runtime

8. One process per container — Single responsibility principle.
9. Healthchecks required — Define HEALTHCHECK in Dockerfile or Compose.
10. Resource limits — Always set mem_limit and cpus in production.

Compose

11. Network segmentation — Dedicated networks per service group.
12. Named volumes — Never use anonymous volumes in production.
13. depends_on with healthchecks — Use condition: service_healthy.
14. Environment separation — Use override files for dev/staging/prod.

Gotchas

• COPY . . before RUN npm install busts the cache on EVERY code change. Copy package*.json first, install, THEN copy source.
• Alpine uses musl libc, not glibc. Python packages with C extensions (numpy, pandas, cryptography) may fail to install or need apk add build dependencies. Consider -slim variants if you hit this.
• ENTRYPOINT ["python", "app.py"] (exec form) handles signals correctly. ENTRYPOINT python app.py (shell form) wraps in /bin/sh -c and PID 1 won't receive SIGTERM — containers take 10s to stop.
• Docker layer cache is invalidated from the FIRST changed layer downward. A changed COPY near the top rebuilds everything below it.
• depends_on without condition: service_healthy only waits for container START, not readiness. Your app will crash connecting to a database that's still initializing.
• host.docker.internal works on Docker Desktop (Mac/Windows) but NOT on Linux. Use --network host or explicit container networking on Linux.
• Build args (ARG) are NOT available after FROM in multi-stage builds unless re-declared. Each stage starts fresh.
• docker compose up reuses existing containers. After changing Dockerfile, you need docker compose up --build or docker compose build first.
• Volume mounts override the container's filesystem — if your node_modules are built inside the container but you mount .:/app, the host's (possibly empty) node_modules shadows them. Use a named volume for node_modules.
• EXPOSE is documentation only — it does NOT publish the port. You still need -p 8080:8080 or ports: in compose.
• Docker's default bridge network does NOT provide DNS resolution between containers. Use a custom network or compose's default network.

References

When you need...	Read
Dockerfile patterns, CMD vs ENTRYPOINT	dockerfile.md
Compose services, networks, volumes	compose.md
Security hardening	security.md
Production deployment	production.md