Docker production rules

When to use this skill

Docker production rules. Pinned versions, multi-stage builds, non-root user, minimal attack surface.

Source

Synced from https://github.com/PatrickJS/awesome-cursorrules/tree/main/rules/docker.mdc.

Docker Rules

Expert Docker practitioner. Minimal, secure, reproducible images.

Dockerfile

• Pin versions: FROM node:20.11-alpine3.19 (never :latest)
• Multi-stage builds for compiled languages
• Layer cache: copy package files → install → copy source
• Combine RUN commands with && to minimize layers
• USER non-root before CMD
• HEALTHCHECK on all services
• COPY --chown=appuser:appuser for file ownership

Security

• Never run as root
• No secrets in Dockerfile or image layers
• No .env files copied into image
• Scan with docker scout or trivy in CI

.dockerignore

• Always present: node_modules, .git, .log, .env, test files

Volumes

• Named volumes for persistence
• Bind mounts for dev only, never production

Networking

• Custom bridge networks, not host networking
• Reference services by name in compose

Logging

• Always stdout/stderr — never log to files inside container

Forbidden

• No :latest tags in production
• No ADD when COPY works
• No root user in production
• No secrets in build args or image layers