Docker Development Skill

Execute all package installations and code execution inside Docker containers. This keeps the host machine clean and ensures consistent environments across projects.

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First-Time Setup (New Projects)

Step 1: Answer Configuration Questions

Before setting up Docker for a new project, determine your requirements:

Q1: Does your project use native Node.js modules?

Native modules compile C/C++ code and have specific OS requirements.

Module	Native?	Requires glibc?
better-sqlite3	Yes	Yes
onnxruntime-node	Yes	Yes
sharp	Yes	Yes
bcrypt	Yes	Yes
node-gyp builds	Yes	Usually
Pure JS packages	No	No

Check your package.json:

# Look for native module indicators
grep -E "node-gyp|prebuild|nan|napi" package.json package-lock.json 2>/dev/null | head -5

Q2: What's your priority?

Priority	Recommended Base Image
Smallest image size	node:20-alpine (if no native modules)
Maximum compatibility	node:20-slim (Debian, has glibc)
Full tooling	node:20 (full Debian)

Step 2: Create Project Configuration

Create .claude/docker-config.json in your project root:

{
  "containerName": "my-project-dev-1",
  "baseImage": "node:20-slim",
  "port": 3000,
  "hasNativeModules": true,
  "devCommand": "npm run dev -- --host 0.0.0.0"
}

Configuration Options:

Field	Description	Examples
containerName	Docker container name	myapp-dev-1, api-dev-1
baseImage	Base Docker image	node:20-slim, node:20-alpine
port	Dev server port	3000, 4321, 5173
hasNativeModules	Uses native modules?	true, false
devCommand	Command to start dev server	npm run dev -- --host 0.0.0.0

Step 3: Generate Docker Files

Based on your configuration, create these files:

If hasNativeModules: true (Recommended Default)

Dockerfile:

FROM node:20-slim

WORKDIR /app

# Install build tools for native modules (Debian/glibc)
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
    python3 \
    make \
    g++ \
    git \
    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*

# Copy package files for layer caching
COPY package*.json ./

# Install dependencies
RUN npm install

# Copy source code
COPY . .

# Build if needed
RUN npm run build --if-present

# Default command
CMD ["npm", "run", "dev", "--", "--host", "0.0.0.0"]

If hasNativeModules: false (Smaller Image)

Dockerfile:

FROM node:20-alpine

WORKDIR /app

# Alpine uses apk, not apt-get
RUN apk add --no-cache python3 make g++ git

COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm install
COPY . .
RUN npm run build --if-present

CMD ["npm", "run", "dev", "--", "--host", "0.0.0.0"]

docker-compose.yml (Both)

services:
  dev:
    build:
      context: .
      dockerfile: Dockerfile
    container_name: ${COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME:-my-project}-dev-1
    ports:
      - "${DEV_PORT:-3000}:3000"
    volumes:
      - .:/app
      - node_modules:/app/node_modules
    environment:
      - NODE_ENV=development
    command: npm run dev -- --host 0.0.0.0
    profiles:
      - dev

volumes:
  node_modules:

Step 4: Start Container

# Navigate to project root
cd /path/to/project

# Start the development container
docker compose --profile dev up -d

# Verify it's running
docker ps --filter "name=my-project"

# Install dependencies (first time)
docker exec my-project-dev-1 npm install

Step 5: Verify Setup

Run this checklist:

# 1. Container running?
docker ps | grep my-project-dev-1

# 2. Can execute commands?
docker exec my-project-dev-1 node --version

# 3. Dependencies installed?
docker exec my-project-dev-1 npm list --depth=0

# 4. Dev server accessible?
curl -s http://localhost:3000 > /dev/null && echo "OK" || echo "Not responding"

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ENFORCEMENT RULES

BLOCKED: Never Run on Host

These commands are BLOCKED on the host machine:

npm install, npm ci, npm run, npm test, npm exec
npx <anything>
yarn add, yarn install, yarn run
pnpm add, pnpm install, pnpm run
node <script>
tsx <script>
bun <script>

Why? Installing packages on the host:

• Pollutes the host machine with project-specific dependencies
• Creates version conflicts between projects
• Makes environments non-reproducible
• Can cause security issues with global packages

REQUIRED: Use docker exec

All Node.js commands MUST use this prefix:

docker exec <container-name> <command>

Note: Use docker exec WITHOUT the -it flag in Claude Code:

# ✅ Correct (works in Claude Code)
docker exec my-project-dev-1 npm run build

# ❌ Wrong (fails with "not a TTY")
docker exec -it my-project-dev-1 npm run build

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Pre-Flight Check (MANDATORY)

Before running ANY npm/node command, verify the container is running.

docker ps --filter "name=<container-name>" --format "table {{.Names}}\t{{.Status}}\t{{.Ports}}"

Expected output:

NAMES                   STATUS          PORTS
my-project-dev-1        Up X minutes    0.0.0.0:3000->3000/tcp

If container is NOT running:

cd /path/to/project
docker compose --profile dev up -d
docker ps --filter "name=<container-name>"

If container shows "Exited":

docker logs <container-name> --tail 20
docker compose --profile dev down
docker compose --profile dev up -d

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Quick Reference

Check Container Status

docker ps --filter "name=<container-name>"
docker logs <container-name> --tail 50
curl -s http://localhost:<port> > /dev/null && echo "Running" || echo "Not running"

Start/Stop Containers

docker compose --profile dev up -d        # Start
docker compose --profile dev down         # Stop
docker compose --profile dev restart dev  # Restart
docker compose --profile dev up -d --build  # Rebuild

Execute Commands Inside Container

docker exec <container> npm install <package>     # Install package
docker exec <container> npm install -D <package>  # Install dev dependency
docker exec <container> npm test                  # Run tests
docker exec <container> npm run typecheck         # Type checking
docker exec <container> npm run lint              # Linting
docker exec <container> npm run build             # Build
docker exec <container> /bin/sh                   # Shell (use -it for interactive)

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Native Module Troubleshooting

Error: ERR_DLOPEN_FAILED

Symptom:

Error: Error loading shared library ld-linux-aarch64.so.1: No such file or directory

Cause: Using Alpine image with modules that require glibc.

Fix:

1. Update Dockerfile to use node:20-slim
2. Change apk commands to apt-get
3. Rebuild container:

docker compose --profile dev down
docker volume rm <project>_node_modules
docker compose --profile dev build --no-cache
docker compose --profile dev up -d
docker exec <container> npm install

Error: Module not found after switching images

Fix: Rebuild native modules inside container:

docker exec <container> npm rebuild

Decision Tree: Alpine vs Slim

Does package.json contain native modules?
│
├─ YES → Use node:20-slim (glibc)
│        └─ Examples: sharp, bcrypt, sqlite3, onnxruntime
│
├─ UNSURE → Use node:20-slim (safe default)
│
└─ NO (pure JS only) → Use node:20-alpine (smaller)
         └─ Examples: express, react, typescript, lodash

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When to Use docker exec

Operation	Use docker exec?	Reason
npm install	✅ Always	Packages install in container only
npm run dev	❌ No	Already running via docker-compose
npm test	✅ Yes	Tests run in container environment
npm run build	✅ Yes	Build happens in container
git commands	❌ No	Git runs on host (manages files)
File editing	❌ No	Volume mount syncs automatically
Database migrations	✅ Yes	Uses container's Node environment

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Container Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  HOST (macOS/Linux/Windows)                                 │
│                                                             │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐   │
│  │  Docker Container (my-project-dev-1)                │   │
│  │                                                     │   │
│  │  Node 20 (Slim or Alpine)                           │   │
│  │  └── node_modules/ (container-only, NOT on host)    │   │
│  │  └── Dev server (port 3000)                         │   │
│  │                                                     │   │
│  │  Volume Mounts:                                     │   │
│  │  └── .:/app (source code sync)                      │   │
│  │  └── node_modules:/app/node_modules (persist deps)  │   │
│  └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘   │
│                         │                                   │
│                         ▼                                   │
│                   Port mapped                               │
│                         │                                   │
│                         ▼                                   │
│              http://localhost:<port>                        │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Key Point: node_modules exists ONLY in the container. The host machine stays clean.

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Volume Mount Behavior

volumes:
  - .:/app                           # Source code (synced)
  - node_modules:/app/node_modules   # Dependencies (container-only)

What this means:

• Source code changes on host are immediately visible in container
• node_modules/ lives in a named Docker volume, NOT on host filesystem
• Hot reload works automatically
• Host machine never has project dependencies installed

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Troubleshooting

Container Not Running

docker ps -a --filter "name=<container-name>"
docker logs <container-name>
docker compose --profile dev up -d

Port Already in Use

lsof -i :<port>
# Kill the process or change port in docker-compose.yml

Module Not Found Errors

docker compose --profile dev down
docker compose --profile dev build --no-cache
docker compose --profile dev up -d
docker exec <container> npm install

File Changes Not Reflecting

docker inspect <container-name> | grep -A 10 "Mounts"
docker compose --profile dev restart dev

Wrong Architecture (M1/M2 Mac)

If you see platform warnings:

# Add to docker-compose.yml service
platform: linux/amd64  # or linux/arm64

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Project Configuration Reference

.claude/docker-config.json

{
  "containerName": "my-project-dev-1",
  "baseImage": "node:20-slim",
  "port": 3000,
  "hasNativeModules": true,
  "devCommand": "npm run dev -- --host 0.0.0.0",
  "envFile": ".env",
  "additionalVolumes": [],
  "buildArgs": {}
}

Environment Variables

Required env vars load from .env via docker-compose:

env_file:
  - .env

For command-specific env vars:

docker exec -e MY_VAR=value <container-name> <command>

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Best Practices

1. Always check container status before running commands
2. Use docker exec for ALL npm/node operations
3. Never install packages on host - always in container
4. Use node:20-slim by default - switch to alpine only if no native modules
5. Rebuild image after changing package.json or Dockerfile
6. Check logs when something isn't working
7. Use named volumes for node_modules to persist between container restarts

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Integration with Claude Code

Task	Action
Install dependency	docker exec <container> npm install <pkg>
Run tests	docker exec <container> npm test
Check types	docker exec <container> npm run typecheck
Build project	docker exec <container> npm run build
Start dev server	Container already runs it via docker-compose
Edit files	Edit directly (volume mount syncs)
Git operations	Run on host (not in container)

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Last updated: December 2025