{"id":48422,"date":"2025-02-08T08:30:37","date_gmt":"2025-02-08T08:30:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/?p=48422"},"modified":"2025-07-12T05:38:43","modified_gmt":"2025-07-12T05:38:43","slug":"docker-build","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/docker-build\/","title":{"rendered":"Docker commands Guide – docker build with examples"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Here\u2019s a complete tutorial<\/strong> on docker build<\/code>, explaining what it does<\/strong>, examples<\/strong>, and use cases<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

What is docker build<\/code>?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

docker build<\/code> is a Docker command used to create a Docker image<\/strong> from a Dockerfile<\/strong> and context<\/strong> (the set of files required to build the image). Once the image is built, it can be used to run containers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key Features:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • Builds Docker images from a Dockerfile<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Supports build-time variables<\/strong> and multi-stage builds<\/strong> for efficient image creation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Integrates with CI\/CD pipelines<\/strong> for automated image building and deployment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
    \n\n\n\n

    Basic Syntax<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
    docker build [OPTIONS] PATH | URL | -\n<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
    Common Options:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    • -t<\/code>, --tag<\/code>: Assign a name and tag<\/strong> to the built image (my_app:latest<\/code>).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • -f<\/code>, --file<\/code>: Specify an alternate Dockerfile<\/strong> (default is Dockerfile<\/code> in the build context).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • --no-cache<\/code>: Build the image without using cache<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • --build-arg<\/code>: Pass build-time variables<\/strong> to the image.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • --progress<\/code>: Control progress output (auto<\/code>, plain<\/code>, tty<\/code>).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • --rm<\/code>: Remove intermediate containers after a successful build (default behavior).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      Examples of docker build<\/code><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
      1. Build an Image from a Dockerfile<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
      docker<\/span> build<\/span> -t<\/span> my_app<\/span>:latest<\/span> .\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> CSS<\/span> (<\/span>css<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
      This builds an image from the Dockerfile<\/code> in the current directory (.<\/code>) and tags it as my_app:latest<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      2. Use an Alternate Dockerfile<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
      docker<\/span> build<\/span> -t<\/span> my_app<\/span>:dev<\/span> -f<\/span> Dockerfile<\/span>.dev<\/span> .\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> CSS<\/span> (<\/span>css<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
      This uses Dockerfile.dev<\/code> to build the image and tags it as my_app:dev<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      3. Build an Image Without Using Cache<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
      docker<\/span> build<\/span> --no-cache<\/span> -t<\/span> my_app<\/span>:latest<\/span> .\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> CSS<\/span> (<\/span>css<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
      This forces Docker to ignore the cache and rebuild every layer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      4. Build an Image with Build-Time Variables<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
      docker build --build-arg ENV=production -t my_app:latest .\n<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
      Dockerfile example:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
      ARG ENV\nRUN echo<\/span> \"Environment: $ENV\"<\/span>\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> PHP<\/span> (<\/span>php<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
      This passes ENV=production<\/code> to the Dockerfile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      5. Tag an Image with Multiple Tags<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
      docker<\/span> build<\/span> -t<\/span> my_app<\/span>:1.0<\/span> -t<\/span> my_app<\/span>:latest<\/span> .\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> CSS<\/span> (<\/span>css<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
      This builds the image and assigns it two tags: 1.0<\/code> and latest<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      6. Build from a Remote Git Repository<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
      docker build -t my_app https:\/\/github.com\/user\/my_app.git<\/span>\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> JavaScript<\/span> (<\/span>javascript<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
      This builds an image directly from a GitHub repository.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      7. Build an Image with a Specific Build Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
      docker build -t my_app \/path\/to\/context\n<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
      This uses \/path\/to\/context<\/code> as the build context for the image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      8. Use BuildKit for Faster Builds<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
      DOCKER_BUILDKIT=1 docker build -t my_app:latest .\n<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
      BuildKit is a modern builder that speeds up builds and supports advanced features like parallel builds and caching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      9. Monitor Build Progress in Plain Text<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
      docker build --progress=plain -t my_app .\n<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
      This displays the build progress in plain text, useful for debugging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      10. Save and Load Build Cache for CI\/CD<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      Save cache:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
      docker build --build-arg BUILDKIT_INLINE_CACHE=1 -t my_app .\ndocker save my_app:latest > my_app.tar\n<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
      Load cache:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
      docker<\/span> load<\/span> < my_app<\/span>.tar<\/span>\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> CSS<\/span> (<\/span>css<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      11. Build with Multi-Stage Dockerfile<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      Multi-stage builds help reduce image size by separating build and runtime environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      Dockerfile example:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
      # Stage 1: Build<\/span>\nFROM golang:1.17<\/span> as<\/span> builder\nWORKDIR \/app\nCOPY . .\nRUN go build -o my_app .\n\n# Stage 2: Runtime<\/span>\nFROM alpine:latest\nWORKDIR \/app\nCOPY --from=builder \/app\/my_app .\nCMD [\".\/my_app\"<\/span>]\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> PHP<\/span> (<\/span>php<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
      Build the image:<\/p>\n\n\n
      docker<\/span> build<\/span> -t<\/span> my_app<\/span>:latest<\/span> .\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> CSS<\/span> (<\/span>css<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      Use Cases for docker build<\/code><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
      1. Creating Custom Application Images<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      • Build images with your application code, dependencies, and configurations<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Example: Build a Node.js<\/strong> or Python<\/strong> application with required libraries.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
        2. Continuous Integration and Deployment (CI\/CD)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
          \n
        • Use docker build<\/code> in CI\/CD pipelines to automate image creation and deployment<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Example: Build and push images to Docker Hub<\/strong> after every code commit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
          3. Multi-Stage Builds for Optimized Images<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
            \n
          • Reduce image size by using multi-stage builds.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Example: Use a builder image<\/strong> for compiling code and a smaller image for the final runtime.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
            4. Environment-Specific Builds<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
              \n
            • Use build-time arguments to create different versions of images<\/strong> for development, staging, and production.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Example: Pass ENV=production<\/code> to enable production-specific configurations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
              5. Containerized Testing Environments<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                \n
              • Build images with test dependencies<\/strong> for automated testing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Example: Build a custom image with Cypress<\/strong> or Selenium<\/strong> for UI testing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                6. Building Static Websites<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                  \n
                • Use Docker to build and deploy static websites with NGINX<\/strong> or Apache<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                  7. Packaging Microservices<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                    \n
                  • Package each microservice in its own Docker image for deployment in a microservices architecture<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                    \n\n\n\n
                    List of Common docker build<\/code> Commands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                    Command<\/strong><\/th>Description<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
                    docker build -t my_app:latest .<\/code><\/td>Build an image from the current directory<\/td><\/tr>
                    docker build -f Dockerfile.dev -t my_app:dev .<\/code><\/td>Build using an alternate Dockerfile<\/td><\/tr>
                    docker build --no-cache -t my_app .<\/code><\/td>Build without using cache<\/td><\/tr>
                    docker build --build-arg ENV=production .<\/code><\/td>Build with a build-time argument<\/td><\/tr>
                    docker build -t my_app https:\/\/github.com\/user\/repo.git<\/code><\/td>Build from a remote Git repository<\/td><\/tr>
                    docker build --progress=plain .<\/code><\/td>Show build progress in plain text<\/td><\/tr>
                    docker build -t my_app \/path\/to\/context<\/code><\/td>Build with a specific build context<\/td><\/tr>
                    DOCKER_BUILDKIT=1 docker build -t my_app .<\/code><\/td>Enable BuildKit for faster builds<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
                    \n\n\n\n
                    Best Practices for Using docker build<\/code>:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                      \n
                    1. Use multi-stage builds<\/strong> to keep images small and secure.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    2. Leverage caching<\/strong> for faster builds, especially for dependency installation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    3. Use .dockerignore<\/code><\/strong> to exclude unnecessary files and reduce build context size.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    4. Tag images properly<\/strong> with version numbers and environment-specific tags (dev<\/code>, staging<\/code>, prod<\/code>).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    5. Automate builds<\/strong> in CI\/CD pipelines for consistent image creation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    6. Minimize layers<\/strong> in Dockerfiles to improve build performance and reduce image size.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                      \n\n\n\n
                      Common Errors and Solutions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                        \n
                      1. “No such file or directory”<\/strong>
                        \u2192 Ensure the Dockerfile and build context path are correct.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      2. “Failed to fetch base image”<\/strong>
                        \u2192 Check your network connection and Docker registry access.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      3. “Cache not used”<\/strong>
                        \u2192 Ensure the instructions in the Dockerfile are written in a way that maximizes caching<\/strong> (place frequently changed steps at the end).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      4. “Image size too large”<\/strong>
                        \u2192 Use multi-stage builds and a smaller base image (e.g., alpine<\/code>).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                        \n\n\n\n
                        Combining docker build<\/code> with Other Commands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                        Push Built Image to Docker Hub<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
                        docker build -t my_app:latest .\ndocker tag my_app:latest myusername\/my_app:latest\ndocker push myusername\/my_app:latest\n<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
                        Automate Builds in GitHub Actions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
                        name: Docker Build\non: [push]\njobs:\n  build:\n    runs-on: ubuntu-latest\n    steps:\n      - name: Checkout Code\n        uses: actions\/checkout@v2\n      - name: Build Docker Image\n        run: docker build -t my_app:latest .\n      - name: Push Docker Image\n        run: docker push myusername\/my_app:latest\n<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
                        \n\n\n\n
                        <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
                        Here\u2019s a complete tutorial on docker build, explaining what it does, examples, and use cases. What is docker build? docker build is a Docker command used to create a Docker… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[4862],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-docker"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48422","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48422"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48422\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48424,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48422\/revisions\/48424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48422"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48422"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48422"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}