Plurrrr

The official Python image for Docker is quite popular, and in fact I recommend one of its variations as a base image. But many people don’t quite understand what it does, which can lead to confusion and brokenness.

In this post I will therefore go over how it’s constructed, why it’s useful, how to use it correctly, as well as its limitations. In particular, I’ll be reading through the python:3.8-slim-buster variant, as of August 19, 2020, and explaining it as I go along.

One of the special things about software engineering as a profession is the possibility of ars-poetic work: part of our work is building tools that target our own work; perhaps a few surgeons around the globe can design and meld their own scalpel, but for software engineers building our own tooling is a day to day reality.

This is my humble attempt to channel hours and hours of headaches, despair, and a-ha! moments into a beginner-friendly, digestible format. This is the first in a series of articles, and I hope it will give you a headstart in your Docker journey!