Docker Containerization

Write production-grade Dockerfiles with multi-stage builds, security hardening, and size optimization. Covers docker-compose for local development, image layer caching, health checks, and the patterns that separate a 2GB image from a 50MB one.

When to Use

Use for:

• Writing Dockerfiles from scratch or improving existing ones
• Multi-stage builds for compiled languages (Go, Rust, TypeScript)
• Docker Compose for local development environments
• Image size optimization (choosing base images, layer caching)
• Docker security scanning and hardening
• Development vs production Dockerfile patterns
• Debugging container build failures
• .dockerignore optimization

NOT for:

• Kubernetes deployment/orchestration (different domain)
• Cloud-specific container services (ECS, Cloud Run, App Runner)