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Introduction
So, you’ve been wrestling with Docker builds, and you’re starting to think that typing out docker build commands manually—or worse, maintaining a labyrinth of shell scripts—isn’t the most enjoyable way to spend your time. Enter Docker Bake—a tool that makes multi-platform builds, parallel execution, and complex configurations significantly less painful.
Think of it as a batch cooking session: instead of making one meal at a time, you prep everything in advance and let the oven (or in this case, BuildKit) do the heavy lifting. Sounds good? Let’s dive in!
What Is Docker Bake?
Docker Bake is a feature of BuildKit that allows you to define and run multiple build targets in parallel using a single configuration file (docker-bake.hcl or docker-bake.json). It’s part of Docker Buildx, so if you’re still using the classic docker build, this might be a good time to upgrade.
With Bake, you can:
- Build multiple images at once
- Target multiple platforms
- Define reusable build arguments and variables
- Avoid the tedium of running
docker buildcommands manually
