Node.js with pnpm
Best practices for Dockerfile for Node.js with pnpm
🐳 Annotated Dockerfile for Node.js with pnpm:
🔍 Why these are best practices:
✅ Multi-stage builds
- Smaller final images: Dependencies and build tools are discarded after use, reducing container size.
- Security: Fewer files and tools mean a smaller attack surface.
✅ Caching pnpm store
- Faster builds: Reusing a cached store reduces install times drastically, especially beneficial for large dependency trees.
- Lower CI/CD overhead: Speeds up continuous integration and deployment workflows.
✅ Separating dependencies and build stages
- Clear separation of concerns: Each stage serves a single purpose, making it easier to debug and optimize.
- Improved cache efficiency: Changes in code don’t trigger unnecessary reinstallation of unchanged dependencies.
✅ Minimal runtime image
- Performance and security: Only the essential runtime code is present, limiting potential vulnerabilities.
- Lower resource consumption: Optimized resource usage in production deployments.
🚀 Additional Dockerfile best practices you can adopt:
Use a non-root user
For enhanced security, run your app as a non-root user:
Use HEALTHCHECK directive
Allows Docker to monitor container health automatically.
Use explicit .dockerignore
Prevent copying unnecessary files into your image.
Example .dockerignore
node_modules dist coverage .git Dockerfile docker-compose.yml README.md *.log
Consider using Distroless or Alpine images
Switch to even lighter-weight base images if you’re comfortable handling potential compatibility issues:
Or distroless:
By following these annotations and best practices, your Docker images become faster to build, more secure, smaller, and easier to maintain—ideal for modern production workflows.
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