command: docker image build
aliases: docker image build, docker build, docker builder build
short: Build an image from a Dockerfile
long: |-
    > [!IMPORTANT]
    > This page refers to the **legacy implementation** of `docker build`,
    > using the legacy (pre-BuildKit) build backend.
    > This configuration is only relevant if you're building Windows containers.
    >
    > For information about the default `docker build`, using Buildx,
    > see [`docker buildx build`](/reference/cli/docker/buildx/build/).

    When building with legacy builder, images are created from a Dockerfile by
    running a sequence of [commits](/reference/cli/docker/container/commit/). This process is
    inefficient and slow compared to using BuildKit, which is why this build
    strategy is deprecated for all use cases except for building Windows
    containers. It's still useful for building Windows containers because BuildKit
    doesn't yet have full feature parity for Windows.

    Builds invoked with `docker build` use Buildx (and BuildKit) by default, unless:

    - You're running Docker Engine in Windows container mode
    - You explicitly opt out of using BuildKit by setting the environment variable `DOCKER_BUILDKIT=0`.

    The descriptions on this page only covers information that's exclusive to the
    legacy builder, and cases where behavior in the legacy builder deviates from
    behavior in BuildKit. For information about features and flags that are common
    between the legacy builder and BuildKit, such as `--tag` and `--target`, refer
    to the documentation for [`docker buildx build`](/reference/cli/docker/buildx/build/).

    ### Build context with the legacy builder

    The build context is the positional argument you pass when invoking the build
    command. In the following example, the context is `.`, meaning current the
    working directory.

    ```console
    $ docker build .
    ```

    When using the legacy builder, the build context is sent over to the daemon in
    its entirety. With BuildKit, only the files you use in your builds are
    transmitted. The legacy builder doesn't calculate which files it needs
    beforehand. This means that for builds with a large context, context transfer
    can take a long time, even if you're only using a subset of the files included
    in the context.

    When using the legacy builder, it's therefore extra important that you
    carefully consider what files you include in the context you specify. Use a
    [`.dockerignore`](/build/concepts/context/#dockerignore-files)
    file to exclude files and directories that you don't require in your build from
    being sent as part of the build context.

    #### Accessing paths outside the build context

    The legacy builder will error out if you try to access files outside of the
    build context using relative paths in your Dockerfile.

    ```dockerfile
    FROM alpine
    COPY ../../some-dir .
    ```

    ```console
    $ docker build .
    ...
    Step 2/2 : COPY ../../some-dir .
    COPY failed: forbidden path outside the build context: ../../some-dir ()
    ```

    BuildKit on the other hand strips leading relative paths that traverse outside
    of the build context. Reusing the previous example, the path `COPY
    ../../some-dir .` evaluates to `COPY some-dir .` with BuildKit.
usage: docker image build [OPTIONS] PATH | URL | -
pname: docker image
plink: docker_image.yaml
options:
    - option: add-host
      value_type: list
      description: Add a custom host-to-IP mapping (`host:ip`)
      details_url: /reference/cli/docker/buildx/build/#add-host
      deprecated: false
      hidden: false
      experimental: false
      experimentalcli: false
      kubernetes: false
      swarm: false
    - option: build-arg
      value_type: list
      description: Set build-time variables
      details_url: /reference/cli/docker/buildx/build/#build-arg
      deprecated: false
      hidden: false
      experimental: false
      experimentalcli: false
      kubernetes: false
      swarm: false
    - option: cache-from
      value_type: stringSlice
      default_value: '[]'
      description: Images to consider as cache sources
      deprecated: false
      hidden: false
      experimental: false
      experimentalcli: false
      kubernetes: false
      swarm: false
    - option: cgroup-parent
      value_type: string
      description: Set the parent cgroup for the `RUN` instructions during build
      details_url: /reference/cli/docker/buildx/build/#cgroup-parent
      deprecated: false
      hidden: false
      experimental: false
      experimentalcli: false
      kubernetes: false
      swarm: false
    - option: compress
      value_type: bool
      default_value: "false"
      description: Compress the build context using gzip
      deprecated: false
      hidden: false
      experimental: false
      experimentalcli: false
      kubernetes: false
      swarm: false
    - option: cpu-period
      value_type: int64
      default_value: "0"
      description: Limit the CPU CFS (Completely Fair Scheduler) period
      deprecated: false
      hidden: false
      experimental: false
      experimentalcli: false
      kubernetes: false
      swarm: false
    - option: cpu-quota
      value_type: int64
      default_value: "0"
      description: Limit the CPU CFS (Completely Fair Scheduler) quota
      deprecated: false
      hidden: false
      experimental: false
      experimentalcli: false
      kubernetes: false
      swarm: false
    - option: cpu-shares
      shorthand: c
      value_type: int64
      default_value: "0"
      description: CPU shares (relative weight)
      deprecated: false
      hidden: false
      experimental: false
      experimentalcli: false
      kubernetes: false
      swarm: false
    - option: cpuset-cpus
      value_type: string
      description: CPUs in which to allow execution (0-3, 0,1)
      deprecated: false
      hidden: false
      experimental: false
      experimentalcli: false
      kubernetes: false
      swarm: false
    - option: cpuset-mems
      value_type: string
      description: MEMs in which to allow execution (0-3, 0,1)
      deprecated: false
      hidden: false
      experimental: false
      experimentalcli: false
      kubernetes: false
      swarm: false
    - option: disable-content-trust
      value_type: bool
      default_value: "true"
      description: Skip image verification (deprecated)
      deprecated: true
      hidden: true
      experimental: false
      experimentalcli: false
      kubernetes: false
      swarm: false
    - option: file
      shorthand: f
      value_type: string
      description: Name of the Dockerfile (Default is `PATH/Dockerfile`)
      details_url: /reference/cli/docker/buildx/build/#file
      deprecated: false
      hidden: false
      experimental: false
      experimentalcli: false
      kubernetes: false
      swarm: false
    - option: force-rm
      value_type: bool
      default_value: "false"
      description: Always remove intermediate containers
      deprecated: false
      hidden: false
      experimental: false
      experimentalcli: false
      kubernetes: false
      swarm: false
    - option: iidfile
      value_type: string
      description: Write the image ID to the file
      deprecated: false
      hidden: false
      experimental: false
      experimentalcli: false
      kubernetes: false
      swarm: false
    - option: isolation
      value_type: string
      description: Container isolation technology
      details_url: '#isolation'
      deprecated: false
      hidden: false
      experimental: false
      experimentalcli: false
      kubernetes: false
      swarm: false
    - option: label
      value_type: list
      description: Set metadata for an image
      deprecated: false
      hidden: false
      experimental: false
      experimentalcli: false
      kubernetes: false
      swarm: false
    - option: memory
      shorthand: m
      value_type: bytes
      default_value: "0"
      description: Memory limit
      deprecated: false
      hidden: false
      experimental: false
      experimentalcli: false
      kubernetes: false
      swarm: false
    - option: memory-swap
      value_type: bytes
      default_value: "0"
      description: 'Swap limit equal to memory plus swap: -1 to enable unlimited swap'
      deprecated: false
      hidden: false
      experimental: false
      experimentalcli: false
      kubernetes: false
      swarm: false
    - option: network
      value_type: string
      default_value: default
      description: Set the networking mode for the RUN instructions during build
      details_url: /reference/cli/docker/buildx/build/#network
      deprecated: false
      hidden: false
      min_api_version: "1.25"
      experimental: false
      experimentalcli: false
      kubernetes: false
      swarm: false
    - option: no-cache
      value_type: bool
      default_value: "false"
      description: Do not use cache when building the image
      deprecated: false
      hidden: false
      experimental: false
      experimentalcli: false
      kubernetes: false
      swarm: false
    - option: platform
      value_type: string
      description: Set platform if server is multi-platform capable
      deprecated: false
      hidden: false
      min_api_version: "1.38"
      experimental: false
      experimentalcli: false
      kubernetes: false
      swarm: false
    - option: pull
      value_type: bool
      default_value: "false"
      description: Always attempt to pull a newer version of the image
      deprecated: false
      hidden: false
      experimental: false
      experimentalcli: false
      kubernetes: false
      swarm: false
    - option: quiet
      shorthand: q
      value_type: bool
      default_value: "false"
      description: Suppress the build output and print image ID on success
      deprecated: false
      hidden: false
      experimental: false
      experimentalcli: false
      kubernetes: false
      swarm: false
    - option: rm
      value_type: bool
      default_value: "true"
      description: Remove intermediate containers after a successful build
      deprecated: false
      hidden: false
      experimental: false
      experimentalcli: false
      kubernetes: false
      swarm: false
    - option: security-opt
      value_type: stringSlice
      default_value: '[]'
      description: Security options
      details_url: '#security-opt'
      deprecated: false
      hidden: false
      experimental: false
      experimentalcli: false
      kubernetes: false
      swarm: false
    - option: shm-size
      value_type: bytes
      default_value: "0"
      description: Size of `/dev/shm`
      deprecated: false
      hidden: false
      experimental: false
      experimentalcli: false
      kubernetes: false
      swarm: false
    - option: squash
      value_type: bool
      default_value: "false"
      description: Squash newly built layers into a single new layer
      details_url: '#squash'
      deprecated: false
      hidden: false
      min_api_version: "1.25"
      experimental: true
      experimentalcli: false
      kubernetes: false
      swarm: false
    - option: tag
      shorthand: t
      value_type: list
      description: Name and optionally a tag in the `name:tag` format
      details_url: /reference/cli/docker/buildx/build/#tag
      deprecated: false
      hidden: false
      experimental: false
      experimentalcli: false
      kubernetes: false
      swarm: false
    - option: target
      value_type: string
      description: Set the target build stage to build.
      details_url: /reference/cli/docker/buildx/build/#target
      deprecated: false
      hidden: false
      experimental: false
      experimentalcli: false
      kubernetes: false
      swarm: false
    - option: ulimit
      value_type: ulimit
      default_value: '[]'
      description: Ulimit options
      deprecated: false
      hidden: false
      experimental: false
      experimentalcli: false
      kubernetes: false
      swarm: false
inherited_options:
    - option: help
      value_type: bool
      default_value: "false"
      description: Print usage
      deprecated: false
      hidden: true
      experimental: false
      experimentalcli: false
      kubernetes: false
      swarm: false
examples: |-
    ### Specify isolation technology for container (--isolation) {#isolation}

    This option is useful in situations where you are running Docker containers on
    Windows. The `--isolation=<value>` option sets a container's isolation
    technology. On Linux, the only supported is the `default` option which uses
    Linux namespaces. On Microsoft Windows, you can specify these values:


    | Value     | Description                                                                                                                                                                    |
    |-----------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
    | `default` | Use the value specified by the Docker daemon's `--exec-opt` . If the `daemon` does not specify an isolation technology, Microsoft Windows uses `process` as its default value. |
    | `process` | Namespace isolation only.                                                                                                                                                      |
    | `hyperv`  | Hyper-V hypervisor partition-based isolation.                                                                                                                                  |

    ### Optional security options (--security-opt) {#security-opt}

    This flag is only supported on a daemon running on Windows, and only supports
    the `credentialspec` option. The `credentialspec` must be in the format
    `file://spec.txt` or `registry://keyname`.

    ### Squash an image's layers (--squash) (experimental) {#squash}

    #### Overview

    > [!NOTE]
    > The `--squash` option is an experimental feature, and should not be considered
    > stable.

    Once the image is built, this flag squashes the new layers into a new image with
    a single new layer. Squashing doesn't destroy any existing image, rather it
    creates a new image with the content of the squashed layers. This effectively
    makes it look like all `Dockerfile` commands were created with a single layer.
    The `--squash` flag preserves the build cache.

    Squashing layers can be beneficial if your Dockerfile produces multiple layers
    modifying the same files. For example, files created in one step and
    removed in another step. For other use-cases, squashing images may actually have
    a negative impact on performance. When pulling an image consisting of multiple
    layers, the daemon can pull layers in parallel and allows sharing layers between
    images (saving space).

    For most use cases, multi-stage builds are a better alternative, as they give more
    fine-grained control over your build, and can take advantage of future
    optimizations in the builder. Refer to the [Multi-stage builds](/build/building/multi-stage/)
    section for more information.

    #### Known limitations

    The `--squash` option has a number of known limitations:

    - When squashing layers, the resulting image can't take advantage of layer
      sharing with other images, and may use significantly more space. Sharing the
      base image is still supported.
    - When using this option you may see significantly more space used due to
      storing two copies of the image, one for the build cache with all the cache
      layers intact, and one for the squashed version.
    - While squashing layers may produce smaller images, it may have a negative
      impact on performance, as a single layer takes longer to extract, and
      you can't parallelize downloading a single layer.
    - When attempting to squash an image that doesn't make changes to the
      filesystem (for example, the Dockerfile only contains `ENV` instructions),
      the squash step will fail (see [issue #33823](https://github.com/moby/moby/issues/33823)).

    #### Prerequisites

    The example on this page is using experimental mode in Docker 23.03.

    You can enable experimental mode by using the `--experimental` flag when starting
    the Docker daemon or setting `experimental: true` in the `daemon.json` configuration
    file.

    By default, experimental mode is disabled. To see the current configuration of
    the Docker daemon, use the `docker version` command and check the `Experimental`
    line in the `Engine` section:

    ```console
    Client: Docker Engine - Community
     Version:           28.5.1
     API version:       1.51
     Go version:        go1.24.8
     Git commit:        e180ab8
     Built:             Wed Oct  8 12:16:17 2025
     OS/Arch:           darwin/arm64
     Context:           desktop-linux

    Server: Docker Engine - Community
     Engine:
      Version:          28.5.1
      API version:      1.51 (minimum version 1.24)
      Go version:       go1.24.8
      Git commit:       f8215cc
      Built:            Wed Oct  8 12:18:25 2025
      OS/Arch:          linux/arm64
      Experimental:     true
     [...]
    ```

    #### Build an image with the `--squash` flag

    The following is an example of a build with the `--squash` flag.  Below is the
    `Dockerfile`:

    ```dockerfile
    FROM busybox
    RUN echo hello > /hello
    RUN echo world >> /hello
    RUN touch remove_me /remove_me
    ENV HELLO=world
    RUN rm /remove_me
    ```

    Next, build an image named `test` using the `--squash` flag.

    ```console
    $ docker build --squash -t test .
    ```

    After the build completes, the history looks like the below. The history could show that a layer's
    name is `<missing>`, and there is a new layer with COMMENT `merge`.

    ```console
    $ docker history test

    IMAGE               CREATED             CREATED BY                                      SIZE                COMMENT
    4e10cb5b4cac        3 seconds ago                                                       12 B                merge sha256:88a7b0112a41826885df0e7072698006ee8f621c6ab99fca7fe9151d7b599702 to sha256:47bcc53f74dc94b1920f0b34f6036096526296767650f223433fe65c35f149eb
    <missing>           5 minutes ago       /bin/sh -c rm /remove_me                        0 B
    <missing>           5 minutes ago       /bin/sh -c #(nop) ENV HELLO=world               0 B
    <missing>           5 minutes ago       /bin/sh -c touch remove_me /remove_me           0 B
    <missing>           5 minutes ago       /bin/sh -c echo world >> /hello                 0 B
    <missing>           6 minutes ago       /bin/sh -c echo hello > /hello                  0 B
    <missing>           7 weeks ago         /bin/sh -c #(nop) CMD ["sh"]                    0 B
    <missing>           7 weeks ago         /bin/sh -c #(nop) ADD file:47ca6e777c36a4cfff   1.113 MB
    ```

    Test the image, check for `/remove_me` being gone, make sure `hello\nworld` is
    in `/hello`, make sure the `HELLO` environment variable's value is `world`.
deprecated: false
hidden: false
experimental: false
experimentalcli: false
kubernetes: false
swarm: false

