Docker Debug

Dockerfile review, image size and build-speed fixes, and container/compose debugging.

Not in scope

Kubernetes manifests and cluster debugging, registry/CI pipeline configuration, and container security scanning (see the security skills for supply-chain review). This skill covers local and single-host Docker.

Debugging: look before guessing

Run these in order; each answers a specific question.

docker ps -a                       # is it running? exit code?
docker logs <c> --tail 100        # what did it say before dying?
docker inspect <c> --format '{{json .State}}'   # OOMKilled? exit code? restarting?
docker exec -it <c> sh            # poke around a live container
docker run --rm -it --entrypoint sh <image>     # poke around when it won't stay up
docker events --since 10m         # restarts, OOM kills, healthcheck failures

Common exit codes: 137 = OOM-killed or docker stop (check .State.OOMKilled), 126/127 = entrypoint not executable / not found (Windows line endings or missing shebang are the usual culprits), 1 immediately = read the logs, the app told you.

The usual suspects

• Exits immediately, no logs: entrypoint runs a command that daemonizes or finishes. Containers live as long as PID 1; run the process in the foreground.
• Can't reach another compose service: use the service name as hostname, not localhost. localhost inside a container is the container.
• Port published but unreachable: app binds 127.0.0.1 inside the container; it must bind 0.0.0.0.
• Works locally, fails in container: missing file from a .dockerignore overreach, env var set only in your shell, or an Alpine/glibc mismatch for native deps.
• File changes not showing up: bind mount path wrong, or the image copy is shadowing the mount. Check docker inspect <c> --format '{{json .Mounts}}'.
• Compose "works after restart": missing depends_on with condition: service_healthy plus a real healthcheck on the dependency. depends_on alone only orders startup, it doesn't wait for readiness.
• Windows hosts: CRLF line endings break shell entrypoints (env: sh\r: not found). Add *.sh text eol=lf to .gitattributes.

Dockerfile review checklist

1. Pin the base image (node:22-bookworm-slim, not node:latest). Prefer slim/bookworm over Alpine when native modules are involved.
2. Layer order = cache order. Copy dependency manifests and install first, copy source last:

   COPY package.json package-lock.json ./
   RUN npm ci
   COPY . .

   Any file change above a layer invalidates everything below it.
3. Multi-stage builds for compiled or bundled apps: build stage with the toolchain, final stage with only the artifact and runtime. This is the single biggest image-size lever.
4. One .dockerignore mirroring .gitignore plus node_modules, .git, build output. Its absence is why builds are slow and images are fat.
5. Run as non-root in the final stage (USER node or an added user).
6. ENTRYPOINT vs CMD: ENTRYPOINT is the executable, CMD the default args. Use exec form (JSON array) so signals reach the process and Ctrl+C works.
7. No secrets in layers. Build args and COPYed credential files persist in history. Use BuildKit secret mounts (RUN --mount=type=secret,...) or runtime env.
8. Healthcheck for anything another service waits on.

Image size triage

docker history <image> --no-trunc   # which layer is fat?
docker image ls                     # compare tags

Biggest wins in order: multi-stage build, slim base, .dockerignore, combining apt-get update && apt-get install && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* into one layer, npm ci --omit=dev / pip install --no-cache-dir.