Next.js Production Image with Standalone Output
Phase 32 objective: containerize the existing architecture without moving durable state, secrets, or business responsibilities into the container layer.
Standalone output Next.js can emit .next/standalone with traced server dependencies when output: "standalone" is enabled. This is particularly useful for Docker because the final image does not need the entire workspace node_modules tree. // apps/web/next.config.ts import path from "node:path";
export default { output: "standalone", outputFileTracingRoot: path.join(__dirname, "../.."), };
Next build | v .next/standalone + .next/static + public | v minimal runtime image
Monorepo caveat In a monorepo, outputFileTracingRoot must include shared packages outside apps/web when those files are required at runtime.
Runtime Copy standalone output, public assets, and .next/static into a minimal Node runtime image. Bind HOSTNAME=0.0.0.0 and the expected PORT.
Containers package a process and its runtime assumptions. The lesson is not memorizing Docker commands; it is making those assumptions repeatable and observable.
Restate the goal of “Next.js Standalone Production Image” as one observable behavior. Write the success signal before touching code.
Trace the boundary map: source + lockfile → build context → image layers → container process → health signal. Mark the one boundary this lesson changes.
Inspect the current repository state and record the exact files, route, table, or runtime involved. Avoid creating an abstraction before you can name the existing owner.
Implement the smallest vertical slice. Add one coherent change, run the narrowest verification command, and read the output before continuing.
Connect the slice to TaskFlow’s phase artifact: Dockerfiles and compose/dev verification that build and run TaskFlow services from clean inputs.. Verify behavior from the outside as a user or API client would.
Create one controlled failure that is safe to reproduce. Predict the symptom first, capture evidence, locate the earliest broken boundary, then fix only that cause.
Close the reference and rebuild or explain the core change from memory. Record what you would monitor or test before trusting the same change in production.
FROM node:24-alpine AS build
WORKDIR /app
RUN corepack enable
COPY package.json pnpm-lock.yaml pnpm-workspace.yaml ./
COPY apps/api/package.json apps/api/package.json
RUN pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
COPY . .
RUN pnpm --filter api buildDo not copy this as a finished answer. Predict what each boundary does, type the smallest useful slice, run it, then compare the result with your prediction.
Inspect container logs and PID 1 command; confirm the process stays in foreground and required config exists.
Check bind address, exposed/published ports, network namespace, and health endpoint.
Without copying the final source, create a second small scenario that applies “Next.js Standalone Production Image” to a different TaskFlow resource or input. Write the acceptance criteria first, implement it, and provide the evidence that each criterion is satisfied.
Run the container with runtime env vars and map the service port explicitly.
Use the smallest change that demonstrates this lesson. Stop after it works and capture evidence.Container listens only on localhost internally
Predict the symptom before causing the failure. Then locate the earliest boundary where reality diverges from expectation.Why does this responsibility live here, what input does it trust, what output proves success, and what would go wrong if another layer owned it?
If your explanation is vague, repeat the boundary trace before moving on.Close the reference. Reproduce the core idea from memory or explain the exact request/data flow aloud. Then check your diff or notes for accidental shortcuts that bypass validation, authorization, error handling, or verification earned in earlier phases.