Docker Containerization & Best Practices

Requirements

1. Write a Dockerfile with a multi-stage build
2. Choose a minimal base image (e.g., alpine:3.17 or debian:slim) and justify the choice
3. Add a non-root USER and set an appropriate WORKDIR
4. Create a .dockerignore to exclude unnecessary files
5. Add a HEALTHCHECK instruction in the Dockerfile
6. Tag the built image with version v1.0.0 and push to a registry

Stretch goals

• Use build arguments (ARG) for environment configuration
• Automate semantic version tagging via Git tags in CI
• Measure image size before and after optimizations

Deliverables

• Dockerfile and .dockerignore in a GitHub repo
• Tagged image (e.g., on Docker Hub) with version v1.0.0
• Documentation explaining build choices and results

Links

• Dockerfile Best Practices
• Docker Multi-stage Builds
• .dockerignore reference

Learning Objectives

• Understand multi-stage builds to reduce image size
• Select appropriate base images (Alpine vs. Slim)
• Configure .dockerignore for optimal build context
• Implement non-root user execution in containers
• Define health checks and semantic version tagging

Upon completion, you will have optimized container images suitable for production workloads.