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Build & run docker image

In this article, we will run through how to build a docker image with a sample nodejs application.

Prerequisites​

  • Docker installed on the host machine

Dockerfile​

Below is a sample Dockerfile for a nodejs application

FROM node:16.18.1

# Create app directory
WORKDIR /usr/src/app

# Install app dependencies
# A wildcard is used to ensure both package.json AND package-lock.json are copied
# where available (npm@5+)
COPY package*.json ./

RUN npm install
# If you are building your code for production
# RUN npm ci --only=production

# Bundle app source
COPY . .

EXPOSE 3005
CMD npm run start

Build docker image​


sudo docker build <path-to-dockerfile> -t <image-name>

Run docker image​


sudo docker run --restart=always -d -p <host-port>:<container-port> <image-name>

# NOTE: --restart=always will restart the container if it crashes or if the host is restarted

Use docker-compose​

We can also use docker-compose to build and run the docker image. Below is a sample docker-compose file

services:
  example-nodejs-app:
    ports:
      - '3005:3005'
    container_name: example-nodejs-app
    restart: always