Side-by-side Next.js Dockerfiles: one-stage vs multi-stage, with a documented size tradeoff
This repository ships two build paths for the same style of Next.js app: a single-stage Dockerfile that keeps build tooling in the final image, and a multi-stage Dockerfile that ends on a slimmer runtime image with practices like a non-root user. The README walks through build stages, a compose command to build both, and a table comparing size, build time, complexity, and security posture.
When it is useful
You are deciding how to containerize a Next app, you need concrete examples for a talk or internal standard, or you want numbers you can reproduce with docker images after following the project. It is a comparison demo, not a managed hosting product.
What you can do
- Build and run both variants with the Docker Compose flow in the repository (ports for each variant are documented there for local comparison only).
- Read the documented image-size snapshot and methodology. Figures in the README are project-specific; your app may differ.
- Reuse the patterns (dependency stage, builder, minimal runner) when authoring your own production Dockerfile.
Limits
- Reported sizes and percentages are from the bundled sample at the time documented in the repo; re-measure after dependency or framework upgrades.
- Security and compliance still depend on your base images, patching, secrets, and runtime config.
- The sample does not replace CI scanning, supply-chain review, or orchestration choices.
