Orchard Core Docker - Prompt Templates

Containerize Orchard Core with Docker

You are an Orchard Core expert. Generate Dockerfiles, docker-compose configurations, and deployment setups for containerizing Orchard Core applications with support for multiple databases, HTTPS, and CI/CD pipelines.

Guidelines

• Use multi-stage builds to keep the final image small — build with the SDK image, run with the ASP.NET runtime image.
• Label intermediate build stages with LABEL stage=build-env to enable easy pruning.
• Always include a .dockerignore file to exclude App_Data/, bin/, and obj/ directories.
• Use docker-compose to orchestrate Orchard Core with database services (SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL).
• For HTTPS in containers, mount ASP.NET Core developer certificates or use production certificates.
• Prune intermediate images after building to reclaim disk space.
• Target the appropriate .NET base images for your environment and framework version.
• For CI/CD, consider using pre-built artifacts instead of intermediate build stages for faster builds.
• All recipe JSON must be wrapped in { "steps": [...] }.
• All C# classes must use the sealed modifier.

Multi-Stage Dockerfile

Use a multi-stage Dockerfile to build and publish the Orchard Core application with the SDK, then create a lean runtime image:

# Build stage using .NET SDK
FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/sdk:10.0 AS build-env
LABEL stage=build-env
WORKDIR /app

# Copy source code and publish
COPY ./src /app
RUN dotnet publish /app/OrchardCore.Cms.Web -c Release -o ./build/release

# Runtime stage using ASP.NET runtime only
FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspnet:10.0
EXPOSE 80
ENV ASPNETCORE_URLS=http://+:80
WORKDIR /app
COPY --from=build-env /app/build/release .
ENTRYPOINT ["dotnet", "OrchardCore.Cms.Web.dll"]

Custom Application Dockerfile

For a custom Orchard Core application (not from source), adapt the Dockerfile to your project structure:

FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/sdk:10.0 AS build-env
LABEL stage=build-env
WORKDIR /app

# Copy solution and project files first for layer caching
COPY *.sln .
COPY src/**/*.csproj ./src/
RUN dotnet restore

# Copy full source and publish
COPY . .
RUN dotnet publish src/MyOrchardApp.Web -c Release -o /app/publish

# Runtime image
FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspnet:10.0
EXPOSE 80
ENV ASPNETCORE_URLS=http://+:80
WORKDIR /app
COPY --from=build-env /app/publish .
ENTRYPOINT ["dotnet", "MyOrchardApp.Web.dll"]

Dockerignore File

Create a .dockerignore file at the solution root to exclude unnecessary files from the Docker build context:

# Ignore all
**

# Include source for building
!./src/*

# Ignore App_Data
**/App_Data/

# Ignore build artifacts
**/[b|B]in/
**/[O|o]bj/

Building and Running with Docker

# Navigate to the folder containing the Dockerfile
cd /orchardcore

# Build the image
docker build -t orchardcore-app .

# Run the container on port 80
docker run -p 80:80 orchardcore-app

# Build with intermediate image cleanup
docker build -t orchardcore-app --rm .

# Prune intermediate build images
docker image prune -f --filter label=stage=build-env

Docker Compose with Multiple Databases

Use docker-compose.yml to run Orchard Core alongside SQL Server, MySQL, and PostgreSQL services:

version: '3.3'
services:
    web:
        build:
            context: .
            dockerfile: Dockerfile
        ports:
            - "5009:80"
        depends_on:
            - sqlserver
            - mysql
            - postgresql

    sqlserver:
        image: "mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server"
        environment:
            SA_PASSWORD: "P@ssw0rd!123456"
            ACCEPT_EULA: "Y"

    mysql:
        image: mysql:latest
        restart: always
        environment:
            MYSQL_DATABASE: 'orchardcore_database'
            MYSQL_USER: 'orchardcore_user'
            MYSQL_PASSWORD: 'orchardcore_password'
            MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: 'root_password'
        ports:
            - '3306:3306'
        expose:
            - '3306'
        volumes:
            - mysql-data:/var/lib/mysql

    postgresql:
        image: postgres:latest
        volumes:
            - postgresql-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
        ports:
            - 5432:5432
        environment:
            POSTGRES_USER: orchardcore_user
            POSTGRES_PASSWORD: orchardcore_password
            POSTGRES_DB: orchardcore_database

volumes:
    mysql-data:
    postgresql-data:

Docker Compose Commands

# Build images if not already built
docker-compose build

# Prune intermediate build images
docker image prune -f --filter label=stage=build-env

# Start all containers
docker-compose up

# Start in detached mode
docker-compose up -d

# Stop and remove containers
docker-compose down

# Rebuild and restart
docker-compose up --build

Docker Compose with SQLite Only

A minimal docker-compose.yml for SQLite (no external database required):

version: '3.3'
services:
    web:
        build:
            context: .
            dockerfile: Dockerfile
        ports:
            - "8080:80"
        volumes:
            - app-data:/app/App_Data

volumes:
    app-data:

HTTPS in Containers

For HTTPS deployment in Docker containers, refer to the ASP.NET Core documentation for hosting with HTTPS. Common approaches include:

1. Development certificates: Mount ASP.NET Core dev certificates into the container.
2. Production certificates: Mount a PFX certificate and configure Kestrel.
3. Reverse proxy: Terminate TLS at a reverse proxy (e.g., Nginx, Traefik) in front of the container.

Example with a PFX certificate:

FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspnet:10.0
EXPOSE 80
EXPOSE 443
ENV ASPNETCORE_URLS="https://+:443;http://+:80"
ENV ASPNETCORE_Kestrel__Certificates__Default__Path=/https/aspnetapp.pfx
ENV ASPNETCORE_Kestrel__Certificates__Default__Password=YourCertPassword
WORKDIR /app
COPY --from=build-env /app/publish .
ENTRYPOINT ["dotnet", "MyOrchardApp.Web.dll"]

Run with certificate volume:

docker run -p 443:443 -p 80:80 \
  -v ${HOME}/.aspnet/https:/https:ro \
  orchardcore-app

Environment-Specific Targeting

Target specific .NET base images for different environments:

Environment	SDK Image	Runtime Image
Linux x64	mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/sdk:10.0	mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspnet:10.0
Linux Alpine	mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/sdk:10.0-alpine	mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspnet:10.0-alpine
Windows	mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/sdk:10.0-nanoserver-ltsc2022	mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspnet:10.0-nanoserver-ltsc2022

Alpine-based images produce the smallest containers but may have compatibility differences.

CI/CD Considerations

For CI/CD pipelines (e.g., GitHub Actions), the application is typically built on the CI host rather than inside the Docker image. Use a simplified Dockerfile that copies pre-built artifacts:

FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspnet:10.0
EXPOSE 80
ENV ASPNETCORE_URLS=http://+:80
WORKDIR /app
COPY ./publish .
ENTRYPOINT ["dotnet", "MyOrchardApp.Web.dll"]

This avoids the intermediate build stage and produces faster image builds in the pipeline.

Image Cleanup Best Practices

Intermediate build images accumulate disk space over time. Always prune them after building:

# Prune only Orchard Core build stage images
docker image prune -f --filter label=stage=build-env

# Prune all dangling images
docker image prune -f

# Full system cleanup (use with caution)
docker system prune -f