Multi-Stage Docker Builder

Construct multi-stage Dockerfiles to compile code in a heavy builder image, and copy only the final artifacts into a minimal, secure runtime environment like Alpine or Distroless.

Stage 1: Heavy Builder

Builder Toolchain Template

Builder Image

Build Command

Use BuildKit Cache Mounts

Cache Mount Flags

Stage 2: Minimal Runtime

Runtime Template

Runtime Image

Artifact Transfers

From Builder Stage

Copy Src

Copy Dest

External Image Source

Image

Src Path

Dest Path

Dockerfile

Advanced BuildKit Features

Using `--mount=type=cache` retains package manager caches across builds, slashing CI/CD build times by up to 80% without bloating your final image size.

Copying from external images (`COPY --from=busybox /bin/sh /bin/sh`) allows you to inject single required binaries into a `scratch` or `distroless` image while keeping the attack surface near zero.