multi-stage-dockerfile

name	multi-stage-dockerfile
description	Create optimized multi-stage Dockerfiles for any language or framework. TRIGGER WHEN: creating Dockerfiles, optimizing container images, multi-stage builds, Docker best practices. DO NOT TRIGGER WHEN: the task is outside the specific scope of this component.

Source: github/awesome-copilot - skills/multi-stage-dockerfile/SKILL.md

Your goal is to help me create efficient multi-stage Dockerfiles that follow best practices, resulting in smaller, more secure container images.

Multi-Stage Structure

• Use a builder stage for compilation, dependency installation, and other build-time operations
• Use a separate runtime stage that only includes what's needed to run the application
• Copy only the necessary artifacts from the builder stage to the runtime stage
• Use meaningful stage names with the AS keyword (e.g., FROM node:18 AS builder)
• Place stages in logical order: dependencies -> build -> test -> runtime

Base Images

• Start with official, minimal base images when possible
• Specify exact version tags to ensure reproducible builds (e.g., python:3.11-slim not just python)
• Consider distroless images for runtime stages where appropriate
• Use Alpine-based images for smaller footprints when compatible with your application
• Ensure the runtime image has the minimal necessary dependencies

Layer Optimization

• Organize commands to maximize layer caching
• Place commands that change frequently (like code changes) after commands that change less frequently (like dependency installation)
• Use .dockerignore to prevent unnecessary files from being included in the build context
• Combine related RUN commands with && to reduce layer count
• Consider using COPY --chown to set permissions in one step

Security Practices

• Avoid running containers as root - use USER instruction to specify a non-root user
• Remove build tools and unnecessary packages from the final image
• Scan the final image for vulnerabilities
• Set restrictive file permissions
• Use multi-stage builds to avoid including build secrets in the final image

Performance Considerations

• Use build arguments for configuration that might change between environments
• Leverage build cache efficiently by ordering layers from least to most frequently changing
• Consider parallelization in build steps when possible
• Set appropriate environment variables like NODE_ENV=production to optimize runtime behavior
• Use appropriate healthchecks for the application type with the HEALTHCHECK instruction

Common Anti-Patterns

Wrong: Installing dev dependencies in runtime

FROM node:20
WORKDIR /app
COPY . .
RUN npm install
CMD ["node", "server.js"]

Correct: Multi-stage with production-only deps

FROM node:22-slim AS builder
WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm ci
COPY . .
RUN npm run build

FROM node:22-slim
WORKDIR /app
COPY --from=builder /app/package*.json ./
RUN npm ci --omit=dev
COPY --from=builder /app/dist ./dist
USER node
CMD ["node", "dist/server.js"]

Wrong: Breaking layer cache

COPY . .
RUN pip install -r requirements.txt

Correct: Dependencies first, code second

COPY requirements.txt .
RUN pip install --no-cache-dir -r requirements.txt
COPY . .

Wrong: Running as root with no healthcheck

FROM python:3.12
COPY app.py .
CMD ["python", "app.py"]

Correct: Non-root user + healthcheck

FROM python:3.12-slim
RUN useradd --create-home appuser
WORKDIR /home/appuser
COPY --chown=appuser:appuser app.py .
USER appuser
HEALTHCHECK --interval=30s --timeout=3s CMD curl -f http://localhost:8000/health || exit 1
CMD ["python", "app.py"]

Language Templates

Node.js (TypeScript)

FROM node:22-slim AS builder
WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json tsconfig.json ./
RUN npm ci
COPY src/ src/
RUN npm run build && npm prune --omit=dev

FROM gcr.io/distroless/nodejs22-debian12
WORKDIR /app
COPY --from=builder /app/node_modules ./node_modules
COPY --from=builder /app/dist ./dist
USER nonroot
EXPOSE 3000
CMD ["dist/server.js"]

Python (FastAPI/Flask)

FROM python:3.12-slim AS builder
WORKDIR /app
RUN python -m venv /opt/venv
ENV PATH="/opt/venv/bin:$PATH"
COPY requirements.txt .
RUN pip install --no-cache-dir -r requirements.txt
COPY . .

FROM python:3.12-slim
WORKDIR /app
RUN useradd --create-home appuser
COPY --from=builder /opt/venv /opt/venv
COPY --from=builder /app .
ENV PATH="/opt/venv/bin:$PATH"
USER appuser
EXPOSE 8000
HEALTHCHECK --interval=30s --timeout=3s CMD python -c "import urllib.request; urllib.request.urlopen('http://localhost:8000/health')" || exit 1
CMD ["uvicorn", "main:app", "--host", "0.0.0.0", "--port", "8000"]

Go

FROM golang:1.24-alpine AS builder
WORKDIR /app
COPY go.mod go.sum ./
RUN go mod download
COPY . .
RUN CGO_ENABLED=0 GOOS=linux go build -ldflags="-s -w" -o /server ./cmd/server

FROM gcr.io/distroless/static-debian12
COPY --from=builder /server /server
USER nonroot
EXPOSE 8080
ENTRYPOINT ["/server"]

Rust

FROM rust:1.82-slim AS builder
WORKDIR /app
COPY Cargo.toml Cargo.lock ./
RUN mkdir src && echo "fn main() {}" > src/main.rs && cargo build --release && rm -rf src
COPY src/ src/
RUN touch src/main.rs && cargo build --release

FROM debian:bookworm-slim
RUN useradd --create-home appuser
COPY --from=builder /app/target/release/myapp /usr/local/bin/
USER appuser
EXPOSE 8080
CMD ["myapp"]

Java (Spring Boot / Gradle)

FROM eclipse-temurin:21-jdk-alpine AS builder
WORKDIR /app
COPY gradle/ gradle/
COPY gradlew build.gradle.kts settings.gradle.kts ./
RUN ./gradlew dependencies --no-daemon
COPY src/ src/
RUN ./gradlew bootJar --no-daemon

FROM eclipse-temurin:21-jre-alpine
WORKDIR /app
RUN addgroup -S appgroup && adduser -S appuser -G appgroup
COPY --from=builder /app/build/libs/*.jar app.jar
USER appuser
EXPOSE 8080
HEALTHCHECK --interval=30s --timeout=3s CMD wget -qO- http://localhost:8080/actuator/health || exit 1
ENTRYPOINT ["java", "-jar", "app.jar"]

Bun (Server or API)

FROM oven/bun:1-alpine AS builder
WORKDIR /app
COPY package.json bun.lock ./
RUN bun install --frozen-lockfile
COPY . .
RUN bun build ./src/index.ts --target=bun --outdir=./dist --minify

FROM oven/bun:1-alpine
WORKDIR /app
RUN addgroup -S app && adduser -S app -G app
COPY --from=builder --chown=app:app /app/dist ./dist
COPY --from=builder --chown=app:app /app/node_modules ./node_modules
USER app
EXPOSE 3000
HEALTHCHECK --interval=30s --timeout=3s CMD wget -qO- http://localhost:3000/health || exit 1
CMD ["bun", "run", "./dist/index.js"]

Notes: Bun 1.2+ uses text-based bun.lock (replaces legacy bun.lockb). Pin the Bun major version; do not use :latest.

Deno (API or CLI)

FROM denoland/deno:2-alpine AS builder
WORKDIR /app
COPY deno.json deno.lock ./
RUN deno cache --lock=deno.lock main.ts
COPY . .
RUN deno compile --allow-net --allow-env --output=/app/server main.ts

FROM alpine:3.20
WORKDIR /app
RUN addgroup -S app && adduser -S app -G app
COPY --from=builder --chown=app:app /app/server /app/server
USER app
EXPOSE 8000
HEALTHCHECK --interval=30s --timeout=3s CMD wget -qO- http://localhost:8000/health || exit 1
ENTRYPOINT ["/app/server"]

Notes: Deno 2 ships deno compile producing a self-contained binary; the runtime image can be plain alpine with no Deno installed. Declare required permissions explicitly -- Deno refuses unknown ones.

.dockerignore Template

Always create a .dockerignore alongside the Dockerfile:

.git
.gitignore
.env*
*.md
LICENSE
docker-compose*.yml
Dockerfile*
node_modules
__pycache__
*.pyc
.pytest_cache
.mypy_cache
.venv
target/
build/
dist/
.idea
.vscode
*.log
coverage/
.next

Adapt to the specific language -- remove entries that don't apply, add framework-specific build artifacts.

Validation Checklist

Before finalizing the Dockerfile, verify:

• Multi-stage build separates build-time from runtime dependencies
• Base images use exact version tags (no latest)
• Runtime image is minimal (slim, alpine, or distroless)
• Dependencies copied before source code (layer cache)
• USER instruction sets non-root user in final stage
• HEALTHCHECK instruction present for service containers
• .dockerignore exists and excludes build artifacts, .git, .env
• No secrets or credentials baked into the image
• EXPOSE documents the listening port
• Build arguments used for environment-specific configuration