Docker Helper

Overview

Create, debug, and optimize Docker configurations including Dockerfiles, docker-compose setups, and container troubleshooting. Follows Docker best practices for security, image size, and build speed.

Instructions

When a user asks for help with Docker, determine which task they need:

Task A: Create a Dockerfile

1. Identify the application language and framework. docker init can generate a starting Dockerfile, compose.yaml and .dockerignore for common stacks; review its output before keeping it.
2. Choose the right base image (prefer -slim or -alpine variants, and a currently supported release: Node 20 reached end of life in April 2026, so use an LTS such as 24 or 22).
3. Use multi-stage builds for compiled or bundled apps.
4. Order instructions for layer caching: