Base image
A base image is a container image that supplies the initial filesystem and environment from which another container image is built.
Learn Docker in a Month of Lunches, Second Edition
A base image is an existing container image that supplies the starting filesystem and layers for building another image.
- How it is used
- Provides starting layers and dependencies for Dockerfile builds while shaping the resulting image’s size and security.
- How deep it goes
- Works through base selection in multi-stage builds and compares variants, but does not detail how to create a base image from scratch.
- Examples
- Uses Go builder and runtime images, Java JDK/JRE size comparisons, and Windows Server Core and Nano Server stages.
- What you can do after
- Apply it via Dockerfiles by selecting and testing build-stage and runtime-stage images for compatibility, size, and security.
Read how Learn Docker in a Month of Lunches, Second Edition explains base image →
Kubernetes for Developers
A base image is a Docker image that provides the initial filesystem and runtime environment for building another application image.
- How it is used
- Uses base images to simplify Docker application builds by supplying a suitable filesystem, runtime, and much of the required configuration.
- How deep it goes
- Explains inheritance, practical selection, Dockerfile composition, compilation, and update policy, but stops short of exhaustive image internals.
- Examples
- Uses Python, Ruby, httpd, OpenJDK, a Python HTTP server, and a Java compilation Dockerfile as concrete examples.
- What you can do after
- Build it from scratch by selecting a suitable image, adding dependencies and application files, defining execution, and rebuilding when fixes arrive.
.NET in Action, Second Edition
A base image is an existing container image from which another image is constructed.
- How it is used
- Provides the starting filesystem and tooling for constructing a container image with Dockerfile instructions.
- How deep it goes
- Defines FROM, immutability, caching, and multi-stage selection, but does not detail image internals beyond Dockerfile layers.
- Examples
- Uses .NET SDK and ASP.NET images in Dockerfiles for building and running AsciiArtSvc.
- What you can do after
- Build a tagged Docker image by selecting a base image and adding application files and startup instructions.
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Podman in Action: Secure, rootless containers for Kubernetes, microservices, and more
A base image is a container image selected as the starting filesystem and metadata layer for building another container image.
- How it is used
- Starts Containerfile builds and provides the initial root filesystem for application images.
- How deep it goes
- Explains registry pulls, rootfs mounting, copy-on-write layers, scratch, and later build directives.
- Examples
- Uses ubi8/httpd-24, an index.html file, a Containerfile, and a tagged podman build command.
- What you can do after
- Build an application image by selecting a base image and applying Containerfile instructions with podman build.
Kubernetes in Action, Second Edition
A base image is a container image selected as the starting point for building another container image.
- How it is used
- Provides the runtime foundation for packaging an application into a container image.
- How deep it goes
- Explains selection and Dockerfile use, but stops short of detailed image-layer internals.
- Examples
- Uses node:23-alpine with copied app.js and html/ files in a minimal Dockerfile.
- What you can do after
- Builds a container image by selecting a runtime base and writing a Dockerfile FROM instruction.
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Machine Learning Platform Engineering
A base image is the foundational Docker image whose filesystem and metadata are used as the starting point for another image.
- How it is used
- Establishes reproducible container environments for applications, Kubeflow notebooks, pipeline components, and deployments.
- How deep it goes
- Explains the FROM foundation and added layers, then demonstrates dependency reuse, but does not examine image internals beyond Dockerfile construction.
- Examples
- Uses python:3.10-slim-buster for FastAPI and ultralytics/ultralytics:8.0.194-cpu for YOLO validation.
- What you can do after
- Apply it via Dockerfiles and KFP components to assemble reproducible application and machine-learning execution environments.
Read how Machine Learning Platform Engineering explains base image →
Shipping Go: Develop, deliver, discuss, design, and go again
A base image is a foundational container image used as the starting point for building another image.
- How it is used
- Provides the foundation for assembling application containers and sharing repeatable runtime environments through registries.
- How deep it goes
- Defines image layering and demonstrates multistage Dockerfile construction, while stopping short of detailed image-maintenance procedures.
- Examples
- Uses Ubuntu, Debian, Windows, golang:1.18, scratch, and separate dev and min application images.
- What you can do after
- Builds development and minimal production images with Docker and selects an appropriate starting layer.
Read how Shipping Go: Develop, deliver, discuss, design, and go again explains base image →
Related concepts
- Dockerfileused by · A Dockerfile is a text file containing declarative instructions for building a container image and specifying its contents and runtime metadata.
- from instructionused by · The FROM instruction is a Dockerfile directive that selects the base image or empty filesystem for a container image build stage.
- containerused by · A software container is an isolated execution environment that packages an application and its dependencies while sharing the host operating system kernel.
- container imagekind of · A container image is a packaged filesystem and configuration artifact from which a container can be created and run.
- Dockerused by · Docker is a platform and ecosystem for building, distributing, and running applications in containers.
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