Custom Dockerfile

Porter automatically generates a Dockerfile and uses it to build the invocation image for your bundle. By default it copies all the files from the current directory into the bundle, and installs SSL certificates. Sometimes you may want to full control over your bundle’s invocation image, for example to install additional software used by the bundle.

When you run porter create template Dockerfile is created for you in the current directory named Dockerfile.tmpl:

FROM debian:stretch

ARG BUNDLE_DIR

RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y ca-certificates

# This is a template Dockerfile for the bundle's invocation image
# You can customize it to use different base images, install tools and copy configuration files.
#
# Porter will use it as a template and append lines to it for the mixins
# and to set the CMD appropriately for the CNAB specification.
#
# Add the following line to porter.yaml to instruct Porter to use this template
# dockerfile: Dockerfile.tmpl

# You can control where the mixin's Dockerfile lines are inserted into this file by moving "# PORTER_MIXINS" line
# another location in this file. If you remove that line, the mixins generated content is appended to this file.
# PORTER_MIXINS

# Use the BUNDLE_DIR build argument to copy files into the bundle
COPY . $BUNDLE_DIR

Add the following line to your porter.yaml file to instruct porter to use the template, instead of generating one from scratch:

dockerfile: Dockerfile.tmpl

It is your responsibility to provide a suitable base image, for example one that has root ssl certificates installed. You must use a base image that is debian-based, such as debian or ubuntu with apt installed. Mixins assume that apt is available to install packages.

When using a Dockerfile template, you must manually copy any files you need in your bundle using COPY statements. A few conventions are followed by Porter to help with this task:

BUNDLE_DIR

Your template must declare ARG BUNDLE_DIR, which is the path to the bundle directory inside the invocation image. You may then use this when copying files from the local filesystem:

COPY . $BUNDLE_DIR

PORTER_MIXINS

The mixins used by your bundle generate Dockerfile lines that must be injected into the Dockerfile template. You can control where they are injected by placing a comment in your Dockerfile template:

# PORTER_MIXINS

When that line is omitted, the mixins Dockerfile lines are appended to the end of the template.

The location of this comment can significantly impact the time it takes to rebuild your bundle, due to image layers and caching. By default this line is placed before copying your local files into the bundle, so that you can iterate on your scripts and on the porter manifest without having to rebuild those layers of the invocation image.