Mike Rousos ef31304e55 Add a comprehensive prompt for containerizing ASP.NET Core projects

This prompt instructs the LLM to conatinerize an ASP.NET Core project
according to ASP.NET Core best practices with flexibility to support a
wide range of possible project customization requirements (including
installing system dependencies, dotnet tools, or other pre-requisites
for the app to work in a container).

2025-07-31 10:56:04 -04:00

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Containerize an ASP.NET Core project by creating Dockerfile and .dockerfile files customized for the project.

ASP.NET Core Docker Containerization Prompt

Containerization Request

Containerize the ASP.NET Core (.NET) project specified in the containerize-aspnetcore.settings.md settings file, focusing exclusively on changes required for the application to run in a Linux Docker container. Containerization should consider all settings specified in the containerize-aspnetcore.settings.md file.

Abide by best practices for containerizing .NET Core applications, ensuring that the container is optimized for performance, security, and maintainability.

Scope

✅ App configuration modification to ensure application settings and connection strings can be read from environment variables
✅ Dockerfile creation and configuration for an ASP.NET Core application
✅ Specifying multiple stages in the Dockerfile to build/publish the application and copy the output to the final image
✅ Configuration of Linux container platform compatibility (Alpine, Ubuntu, Chiseled, or Azure Linux (Mariner))
✅ Proper handling of dependencies (system packages, native libraries, additional tools)
❌ No infrastructure setup (assumed to be handled separately)
❌ No code changes beyond those required for containerization

Execution Process

Review the containerize-aspnetcore.settings.md file to understand the containerization requirements
Create a progress.md file to track changes with check marks
Determine the .NET version from the project's .csproj file by checking the TargetFramework element
Select the appropriate Linux container image based on:
- The .NET version detected from the project
- The Linux distribution specified in containerize-aspnetcore.settings.md (Alpine, Ubuntu, Chiseled, or Azure Linux (Mariner))
- If the user does not request specific base images in the settings file, then the base images MUST be valid mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet images with a tag as shown in the example Dockerfile, below, or in documentation
- Official Microsoft .NET images for build and runtime stages:
  - SDK image tags (for build stage): https://github.com/dotnet/dotnet-docker/blob/main/README.sdk.md
  - ASP.NET Core runtime image tags: https://github.com/dotnet/dotnet-docker/blob/main/README.aspnet.md
  - .NET runtime image tags: https://github.com/dotnet/dotnet-docker/blob/main/README.runtime.md
Create a Dockerfile in the root of the project directory to containerize the application
- The Dockerfile should use multiple stages:
  - Build stage: Use a .NET SDK image to build the application
    - Copy csproj file(s) first
    - Copy NuGet.config if one exists and configure any private feeds
    - Restore NuGet packages
    - Then, copy the rest of the source code and build and publish the application to /app/publish
  - Final stage: Use the selected .NET runtime image to run the application
    - Set the working directory to /app
    - Set the user as directed (by default, to a non-root user (e.g., $APP_UID))
      - Unless directed otherwise in containerize-aspnetcore.settings.md, a new user does not need to be created. Use the $APP_UID variable to specify the user account.
    - Copy the published output from the build stage to the final image
- Be sure to consider all requirements in the containerize-aspnetcore.settings.md file:
  - .NET version and Linux distribution
  - Exposed ports
  - User account for container
  - ASPNETCORE_URLS configuration
  - System package installation
  - Native library dependencies
  - Additional .NET tools
  - Environment variables
  - File/directory copying
  - Volume mount points
  - Health check configuration
Create a .dockerignore file in the root of the project directory to exclude unnecessary files from the Docker image. The .dockerignore file MUST include at least the following elements as well as additional patterns as specified in the containerize-aspnetcore.settings.md file:
- bin/
- obj/
- .dockerignore
- Dockerfile
- .git/
- .github/
- .vs/
- .vscode/
- **/node_modules/
- *.user
- *.suo
- **/.DS_Store
- **/Thumbs.db
- Any additional patterns specified in the containerize-aspnetcore.settings.md file
Configure health checks if specified in the settings:
- Add HEALTHCHECK instruction to Dockerfile if health check endpoint is provided
- Use curl or wget to check the health endpoint
Mark tasks as completed: [ ] → [✓]
Continue until all tasks are complete and Docker build succeeds

Build and Runtime Verification

Confirm that Docker build succeeds once the Dockerfile is completed. Use the following command to build the Docker image:

docker build -t aspnetcore-app:latest .

If the build fails, review the error messages and make necessary adjustments to the Dockerfile or project configuration. Report success/failure.

Progress Tracking

Maintain a progress.md file with the following structure:

# Containerization Progress

## Environment Detection
- [ ] .NET version detection (version: ___)
- [ ] Linux distribution selection (distribution: ___)

## Configuration Changes
- [ ] Application configuration verification for environment variable support
- [ ] NuGet package source configuration (if applicable)

## Containerization
- [ ] Dockerfile creation
- [ ] .dockerignore file creation
- [ ] Build stage created with SDK image
- [ ] csproj file(s) copied for package restore
- [ ] NuGet.config copied if applicable
- [ ] Runtime stage created with runtime image
- [ ] Non-root user configuration
- [ ] Dependency handling (system packages, native libraries, tools, etc.)
- [ ] Health check configuration (if applicable)
- [ ] Special requirements implementation

## Verification
- [ ] Docker build success

Do not pause for confirmation between steps. Continue methodically until the application has been containerized and Docker build succeeds.

Example Dockerfile

An example Dockerfile for an ASP.NET Core (.NET) application using a Linux base image.

# ============================================================
# Stage 1: Build and publish the application
# ============================================================

# Base Image - Select the appropriate .NET SDK version and Linux distribution
# Possible tags include:
# - 8.0-bookworm-slim (Debian 12)
# - 8.0-noble (Ubuntu 24.04)
# - 8.0-alpine (Alpine Linux)
# - 9.0-bookworm-slim (Debian 12)
# - 9.0-noble (Ubuntu 24.04)
# - 9.0-alpine (Alpine Linux)
# Uses the .NET SDK image for building the application
FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/sdk:8.0-bookworm-slim AS build
ARG BUILD_CONFIGURATION=Release

WORKDIR /src

# Copy project files first for better caching
COPY ["YourProject/YourProject.csproj", "YourProject/"]
COPY ["YourOtherProject/YourOtherProject.csproj", "YourOtherProject/"]

# Copy NuGet configuration if it exists
COPY ["NuGet.config", "."]

# Restore NuGet packages
RUN dotnet restore "YourProject/YourProject.csproj"

# Copy source code
COPY . .

# Perform custom pre-build steps here, if needed
# RUN echo "Running pre-build steps..."

# Build and publish the application
WORKDIR "/src/YourProject"
RUN dotnet build "YourProject.csproj" -c $BUILD_CONFIGURATION -o /app/build

# Publish the application
RUN dotnet publish "YourProject.csproj" -c $BUILD_CONFIGURATION -o /app/publish /p:UseAppHost=false

# Perform custom post-build steps here, if needed
# RUN echo "Running post-build steps..."

# ============================================================
# Stage 2: Final runtime image
# ============================================================

# Base Image - Select the appropriate .NET runtime version and Linux distribution
# Possible tags include:
# - 8.0-bookworm-slim (Debian 12)
# - 8.0-noble (Ubuntu 24.04)
# - 8.0-alpine (Alpine Linux)
# - 8.0-noble-chiseled (Ubuntu 24.04 Chiseled)
# - 8.0-azurelinux3.0 (Azure Linux)
# - 9.0-bookworm-slim (Debian 12)
# - 9.0-noble (Ubuntu 24.04)
# - 9.0-alpine (Alpine Linux)
# - 9.0-noble-chiseled (Ubuntu 24.04 Chiseled)
# - 9.0-azurelinux3.0 (Azure Linux)
# Uses the .NET runtime image for running the application
FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspnet:8.0-bookworm-slim AS final

# Install system packages if needed (uncomment and modify as needed)
# RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
#     curl \
#     wget \
#     ca-certificates \
#     libgdiplus \
#     && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*

# Install additional .NET tools if needed (uncomment and modify as needed)
# RUN dotnet tool install --global dotnet-ef --version 8.0.0
# ENV PATH="$PATH:/root/.dotnet/tools"

WORKDIR /app

# Copy published application from build stage
COPY --from=build /app/publish .

# Copy additional files if needed (uncomment and modify as needed)
# COPY ./config/appsettings.Production.json .
# COPY ./certificates/ ./certificates/

# Set environment variables
ENV ASPNETCORE_ENVIRONMENT=Production
ENV ASPNETCORE_URLS=http://+:8080

# Add custom environment variables if needed (uncomment and modify as needed)
# ENV CONNECTIONSTRINGS__DEFAULTCONNECTION="your-connection-string"
# ENV FEATURE_FLAG_ENABLED=true

# Configure SSL/TLS certificates if needed (uncomment and modify as needed)
# ENV ASPNETCORE_Kestrel__Certificates__Default__Path=/app/certificates/app.pfx
# ENV ASPNETCORE_Kestrel__Certificates__Default__Password=your_password

# Expose the port the application listens on
EXPOSE 8080
# EXPOSE 8081  # Uncomment if using HTTPS

# Install curl for health checks if not already present
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y curl && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*

# Configure health check
HEALTHCHECK --interval=30s --timeout=3s --start-period=5s --retries=3 \
    CMD curl -f http://localhost:8080/health || exit 1

# Create volumes for persistent data if needed (uncomment and modify as needed)
# VOLUME ["/app/data", "/app/logs"]

# Switch to non-root user for security
USER $APP_UID

# Set the entry point for the application
ENTRYPOINT ["dotnet", "YourProject.dll"]

Adapting this Example

Note: Customize this template based on the specific requirements in containerize-aspnetcore.settings.md.

When adapting this example Dockerfile:

Replace YourProject.csproj, YourProject.dll, etc. with your actual project names
Adjust the .NET version and Linux distribution as needed
Modify the dependency installation steps based on your requirements and remove any unnecessary ones
Configure environment variables specific to your application
Add or remove stages as needed for your specific workflow
Update the health check endpoint to match your application's health check route

Linux Distribution Variations

Alpine Linux

For smaller image sizes, you can use Alpine Linux:

FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/sdk:8.0-alpine AS build
# ... build steps ...

FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspnet:8.0-alpine AS final
# Install packages using apk
RUN apk update && apk add --no-cache curl ca-certificates

Ubuntu Chiseled

For minimal attack surface, consider using chiseled images:

FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspnet:8.0-jammy-chiseled AS final
# Note: Chiseled images have minimal packages, so you may need to use a different base for additional dependencies

Azure Linux (Mariner)

For Azure-optimized containers:

FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspnet:8.0-azurelinux3.0 AS final
# Install packages using tdnf
RUN tdnf update -y && tdnf install -y curl ca-certificates && tdnf clean all

Notes on Stage Naming

The AS stage-name syntax gives each stage a name
Use --from=stage-name to copy files from a previous stage
You can have multiple intermediate stages that aren't used in the final image
The final stage is the one that becomes the final container image

Security Best Practices

Always run as a non-root user in production
Use specific image tags instead of latest
Minimize the number of installed packages
Keep base images updated
Use multi-stage builds to exclude build dependencies from the final image

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