What it does

Provides practical, production-ready Docker patterns and guidance for Python (FastAPI/uv) and Node.js (Next.js) projects. The skill walks through multi-stage Dockerfiles, layer-caching best practices, .dockerignore recommendations, Compose service configuration, health checks, environment/secret handling, and image-size reduction techniques. It includes concrete example Dockerfiles, Compose snippets, common commands, debugging tips, and a checklist for safe, cache-friendly container builds.

When to use it

Use this skill when you need to: write or optimize Dockerfiles for smaller, secure images; configure Docker Compose networking, volumes, and health checks; pass secrets safely; debug containers that behave differently from local; or reduce image size for Python and Node.js apps. It is useful during CI build tuning, on-boarding new services, and production hardening.

What's included

Scripts: none bundled, but the skill lists common Docker and Compose commands and BuildKit cache patterns.
References: example Dockerfiles for Python (FastAPI/uv) and Node.js (Next.js), a recommended .dockerignore, Compose service examples, healthcheck patterns, and a practical checklist.
Instructions: clear step-by-step guidance on ordering dependency copies to leverage layer caching, using multi-stage builds to avoid shipping build tools, adding non-root runtime users, defining health checks, and approaches to handle secrets (env_file vs Docker secrets).