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Dockerfile Generation Prompt (Claude)

This Claude-optimised variant uses XML output tags to produce a structured response containing four artefacts: the Dockerfile, .dockerignore, build/run commands, and security notes. The XML structure makes it easy to extract individual sections programmatically, which is valuable if you are building a tool that auto-generates Dockerfiles from project metadata.

Prompt Template
<role>You are a senior DevOps engineer and container security specialist. You follow Docker best practices and always generate production-ready configurations.</role>

<task>Generate a production-ready Dockerfile and companion documentation for the application described below.</task>

<application>
  <type>{{app_type}}</type>
  <runtime>{{runtime}} {{runtime_version}}</runtime>
  <build_command>{{build_command}}</build_command>
  <start_command>{{start_command}}</start_command>
  <port>{{port}}</port>
  <env_vars>{{env_vars}}</env_vars>
  <additional_requirements>{{additional_requirements}}</additional_requirements>
</application>

<requirements>
  <must_have>multi-stage build, non-root user, specific image tag, HEALTHCHECK, dependency-layer caching</must_have>
</requirements>

<output_format>
Provide your response in this structure:
<dockerfile>
[the complete Dockerfile]
</dockerfile>
<dockerignore>
[recommended .dockerignore entries]
</dockerignore>
<build_run_commands>
[docker build and run commands for local testing]
</build_run_commands>
<security_notes>
[3-5 security considerations for this specific application type]
</security_notes>
</output_format>

Variables

{{app_type}}Application type, e.g., "REST API", "static website", "background worker"
{{runtime}}Runtime, e.g., Node.js, Python, Go
{{runtime_version}}Specific version, e.g., 20.11, 3.12
{{build_command}}Build command or "None"
{{start_command}}Start command
{{port}}Exposed port
{{env_vars}}Required environment variable names
{{additional_requirements}}Extra requirements or "None"

Example

Input
app_type: Python FastAPI service
runtime: Python
runtime_version: 3.12
build_command: None
start_command: uvicorn app.main:app --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000
port: 8000
env_vars: DATABASE_URL, SECRET_KEY, ALLOWED_ORIGINS
additional_requirements: Must pass security scanning with Trivy
Output
<dockerfile>
FROM python:3.12-slim AS base
WORKDIR /app
COPY requirements.txt .
RUN pip install --no-cache-dir -r requirements.txt

FROM base AS runner
RUN useradd -m -u 1000 appuser
COPY --chown=appuser:appuser . .
USER appuser
EXPOSE 8000
HEALTHCHECK --interval=30s --timeout=5s CMD curl -f http://localhost:8000/health || exit 1
CMD ["uvicorn", "app.main:app", "--host", "0.0.0.0", "--port", "8000"]
</dockerfile>
<security_notes>
1. Use python:3.12-slim to minimise attack surface; avoid python:3.12 (includes build tools)
2. Never bake DATABASE_URL or SECRET_KEY into the image; inject at runtime
3. Pin requirements.txt versions to prevent dependency confusion attacks
</security_notes>

Related Tools

Claude Prompt BuilderClaude Token CounterAI Pipeline Visualizer

FAQ

Why does this produce a .dockerignore too?
A missing or incomplete .dockerignore often results in accidentally copying .env files, node_modules, or .git history into the image. Claude generates both files together to prevent this common mistake.
Can I use this to generate Dockerfiles for monorepos?
Yes. Add the monorepo structure to additional_requirements and specify which workspace/service you are containerising. Claude will generate COPY commands with the correct relative paths.
Does Claude understand Trivy security scanning output?
Yes. Paste a Trivy JSON or table output into a follow-up message and ask Claude to update the Dockerfile to fix the flagged vulnerabilities. It understands Trivy's vulnerability format well.

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