Docker Containerization

This one walks you through building production-ready Docker containers with multi-stage builds, security hardening, and image optimization. You'll get concrete examples for Node.js, Python, Java, and Go apps, plus reference guides on dockerignore patterns, compose setups, and running as non-root users. The quick start shows a solid multi-stage Node build that actually demonstrates the patterns instead of just talking about them. Most useful when you're past basic containerization and need to ship something secure and lean, or when you're tired of bloated images with root access everywhere. The security and optimization sections cover the stuff that's easy to skip but painful to fix later.

skills.sh installs: 681
GitHub stars: 379
last updated: Aug 21, 2026

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Install

$ npx -y skills add aj-geddes/useful-ai-prompts --skill docker-containerization --agent claude-code

Installs into .claude/skills of the current project.

Files

Overview

Build production-ready Docker containers following best practices for security, performance, and maintainability.

When to Use

Containerizing applications for deployment
Creating Dockerfiles for new services
Optimizing existing container images
Setting up development environments
Building CI/CD container pipelines
Implementing microservices

Quick Start

Minimal working example:

# Multi-stage build for Node.js application
# Stage 1: Build
FROM node:18-alpine AS builder
WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm ci --only=production
COPY . .
RUN npm run build

# Stage 2: Production
FROM node:18-alpine
WORKDIR /app
# Copy only production dependencies and built files
COPY --from=builder /app/node_modules ./node_modules
COPY --from=builder /app/dist ./dist
COPY package*.json ./

# Security: Run as non-root user
RUN addgroup -g 1001 -S nodejs && adduser -S nodejs -u 1001
USER nodejs

EXPOSE 3000
CMD ["node", "dist/index.js"]

SKILL.md on GitHub