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rootnode-academy/content/root/root-04-containers-and-docker/m06-dockerfile-and-image-build/04-guided-exercise-ordering-instructions-for-cache-efficiency.md
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ced4568andClaude Sonnet 5 682ef2de47 feat(root04): author Containers & Docker
Adds all 8 ROOT 04 modules (why containers exist, images & containers, Docker CLI, container
networking, container storage, Dockerfile & image build, Docker Compose, containers →
Kubernetes) — 43 activities, using the nested Docker Engine Phase 6D built and tested. Modules
1, 2, and 8 are conceptual (no lab by design) — the honest bridge module (M8) explicitly names
what Kubernetes adds beyond what this course already taught, without re-teaching Kubernetes
itself.

Adds 5 new hands-on Docker scenarios plus 2 MCQs, all against the real nested Docker Engine:
docker-cli-basics (run/exec/inspect a real container), docker-container-networking (a genuine
"works internally, unreachable from host" port-publishing failure, diagnosed and fixed by
recreating the container with the correct `-p` flag), docker-container-storage (a real
destroy/recreate cycle proving named-volume persistence, not just described), docker-build-image
(a real Dockerfile, a real build, a real custom image run), and docker-compose-multiservice (a
real two-service Compose application with a real published port). All tested end-to-end via the
real scenario-validation API, including negative tests.

Wires rootnode-containers-assessment (2 required + 4 random-draw scenarios) using the existing
Phase 3B assessment engine.

This completes the entire ROOT_ Foundations sequence (ROOT 01-04) — see
docs/PHASE6E_ROOT_FOUNDATIONS_COMPLETION.md.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 5 <[email protected]>
2026-08-26 17:08:14 -05:00

1.2 KiB

Guided Exercise: Order These Instructions for Maximum Cache Efficiency

This is a paper exercise — commit to an order before checking it in the Lab.

Your task

You need a Dockerfile with these five things, in SOME order. Application code changes very often; dependencies change rarely. Write the most cache-efficient order:

  • FROM python:3.11-slim
  • COPY app.py . (your actual application code — changes often)
  • COPY requirements.txt . (dependency list — changes rarely)
  • RUN pip install -r requirements.txt (installs dependencies — slow)
  • WORKDIR /app

A worked shape to check yourself against

FROM python:3.11-slim
WORKDIR /app
COPY requirements.txt .
RUN pip install -r requirements.txt
COPY app.py .

Copying requirements.txt and installing dependencies BEFORE copying the actual application code means a code-only change never invalidates the (slow) dependency-install layer — only the final COPY app.py . step needs to rerun.

Instructor Notes

Facilitation: This is one of the most practically useful habits in the entire module — worth connecting explicitly to real build-time savings on larger, slower dependency installs.

Approximate timing: 8-10 minutes live discussion; 5 minutes self-paced.