Minimal Node.js Docker Images (18MB, or 6.6MB compressed)

Versions v5.0.0, v4.2.1, v0.12.7, v0.10.40, and io.js – built on Alpine Linux.

All versions use the one mhart/alpine-node repository, but each version aligns with the following tags (ie, mhart/alpine-node:<tag>):

• Full install built with npm:
  • latest, 5, 5.0, 5.0.0 – 35.21 MB (npm 3.3.10)
  • 4, 4.2, 4.2.1 – 35.02 MB (npm 2.14.8)
  • 3, 3.3, 3.3.1 – 34.3 MB (npm 2.14.3)
  • 2, 2.5, 2.5.0 - 33.97 MB (npm 2.13.2)
  • 1, 1.8, 1.8.4 - 32.93 MB (npm 2.9.0)
  • 0.12, 0.12.7 – 32.26 MB (npm 2.14.5)
  • 0.10, 0.10.40 – 27.62 MB (npm 2.14.5)
• Base install with node built as a static binary with no npm:
  • base, base-5, base-5.0, base-5.0.0 – 25.25 MB
  • base-4, base-4.2, base-4.2.1 – 25.04 MB
  • base-3, base-3.3, base-3.3.1 – 24.52 MB
  • base-2, base-2.5, base-2.5.0 - 24.12 MB
  • base-1, base-1.8, base-1.8.4 - 23.91 MB
  • base-0.12, base-0.12.7 – 22.3 MB
  • base-0.10, base-0.10.40 – 18.5 MB

Example

$ docker run mhart/alpine-node node --version
v5.0.0

$ docker run mhart/alpine-node:4 node --version
v4.2.1

$ docker run mhart/alpine-node npm --version
3.3.10

$ docker run mhart/alpine-node:base node --version
v5.0.0

$ docker run mhart/alpine-node:3 iojs --version
v3.3.1

$ docker run mhart/alpine-node:base-0.10 node --version
v0.10.40

Example Dockerfile for your own Node.js project

If you don't have any native dependencies, ie only depend on pure-JS npm modules, then my suggestion is to run npm install locally before running docker build (and make sure node_modules isn't in your .dockerignore) – then you don't need an npm install step in your Dockerfile and you don't need npm installed in your Docker image – so you can use one of the smaller base* images.

FROM mhart/alpine-node:base
# FROM mhart/alpine-node:base-0.10
# FROM mhart/alpine-node

WORKDIR /src
ADD . .

# If you have native dependencies, you'll need extra tools
# RUN apk add --update make gcc g++ python

# If you need npm, don't use a base tag
# RUN npm install

# If you had native dependencies you can now remove build tools
# RUN apk del make gcc g++ python && \
#   rm -rf /tmp/* /var/cache/apk/* /root/.npm /root/.node-gyp

EXPOSE 3000
CMD ["node", "index.js"]

Caveats

As Alpine Linux uses musl, you may run into some issues with environments expecting glibc-like behaviour (for example, Kubernetes). Some of these issues are documented here:

• http://gliderlabs.viewdocs.io/docker-alpine/caveats/
• gliderlabs/docker-alpine#8

Inspired by:

• https://github.com/alpinelinux/aports/blob/454db196/main/nodejs/APKBUILD
• https://github.com/alpinelinux/aports/blob/454db196/main/libuv/APKBUILD
• https://hub.docker.com/r/ficusio/nodejs-base/~/dockerfile/