NodeJS Build Environment

The Classic Way

Docker image to build your NodeJS or React application. E.g. you could do in your Dockerfile to build a NestJS application (dist) that includes a React frontend (build), so here's an example on how to create an optimized docker image:

# install only dependencies,
# not devDependencies for the final image
# only copy the necessary files, so a
# rebuild is rarely required and cache
# can be reused
FROM mwaeckerlin/nodejs-build as modules
ADD --chown=somebody package.json package.json
ADD --chown=somebody package-lock.json package-lock.json
RUN NODE_ENV=production npm install

# install additional devDependencies and build
FROM modules as build
RUN NODE_ENV=development npm install
# import all sources only here where we need them
# .dockerignore excludes what you don't need
# such as Dockerfile or README.md, LICENSE, etc.
ADD --chown=somebody . .
RUN NODE_ENV=production npm run build

# now in final step, bring all together
# import the smaller node_modules from first step
# normally the build target is in dist or build
FROM mwaeckerlin/nodejs as production
EXPOSE 4000
COPY --from=build /app/dist /app/dist
COPY --from=node-modules /app/node_modules node_modules

The default CMD fits to the output of mwaeckerlin/schematics).

Use Compiled JavaScript

Project nexe provides a JavaScript compiler to generate a single optimized all inclusive executable target file. So we can build the final image from scratch and copy only this target, e.g.

# only copy the necessary files, so a
# rebuild is rarely required and cache
# can be reused
FROM mwaeckerlin/nodejs-build as build
ADD --chown=somebody package.json package.json
ADD --chown=somebody package-lock.json package-lock.json
RUN npm install
# import all sources only here where we need them
# .dockerignore excludes what you don't need
# such as Dockerfile or README.md, LICENSE, etc.
ADD --chown=somebody . .
RUN npm run build
# now let's compile the dist,
# if the main start file is in dist/src/main.js:
RUN nexe --build --python=$(which python3) -o app dist/src/main.js

# now build the final image from scratch
FROM mwaeckerlin/nodejs as production
ENV CONTAINERNAME "my-application"
EXPOSE 4000
COPY --from=build /app/app /app/app
CMD ["/app/app", "--trace-uncaught"]