Build context
A Docker build context is the set of files and directories supplied to Docker as input for building a container image.
Learn Docker in a Month of Lunches, Second Edition
A build context is the directory and its contents supplied to Docker as input for building a container image.
- How it is used
- Supplies the Dockerfile and related files for image builds in local development and CI workflows.
- How deep it goes
- Defines the CLI directory argument and explains context transfer and exclusions, without detailing BuildKit internals.
- Examples
- Contrasts a Compose context with nested Dockerfiles and image builds using precise COPY or .dockerignore.
- What you can do after
- Operate/configure it by selecting a CLI or Compose context and excluding unnecessary files with .dockerignore.
Read how Learn Docker in a Month of Lunches, Second Edition explains build context →
Kubernetes in Action, Second Edition
A build context is the set of files and directories supplied to Docker for building a container image.
- How it is used
- Uses a directory of application artifacts as Docker’s input for building a container image.
- How deep it goes
- Explains directory selection, daemon upload, remote-daemon implications, and performance impact without detailing context filtering internals.
- Examples
- Demonstrates `docker build -t kiada:latest .` with `app.js`, an `html` directory, and a minimal Dockerfile.
- What you can do after
- Builds a tagged container image from a local directory using the Docker CLI.
Read how Kubernetes in Action, Second Edition explains build context →
Related concepts
- dockerignoreconfigured by · A .dockerignore file specifies patterns for files and directories that Docker excludes from a build context.
- docker buildused by · docker build is a Docker command that constructs a container image from a Dockerfile and its build context.
- Compose override fileconfigured by · A Compose override file is a Docker Compose configuration file that modifies or extends settings from another Compose file for a particular environment.
- docker-compose.ymlused by · docker-compose.yml is a declarative YAML configuration file that defines Docker Compose application services and their containers, networks, volumes, and runtime settings.
- container imageproduces · A container image is a packaged filesystem and configuration artifact from which a container can be created and run.
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