Deploying NestJS with Docker (Because Containers Are Like Bento Boxes)

So you’ve survived Vercel, AWS, and DigitalOcean. Now you want Docker.

Why? Because containers are like those magical lunch boxes 🥡:

• Everything you need goes in
• It works the same everywhere
• You can ship it, scale it, and brag about it

🧐 Why Docker?

• Consistency: Works locally, works in the cloud.
• Isolation: No random dependencies stealing your lunch.
• Scalability: Spin up multiple copies like minions.
• Cool points: You can say “I run microservices in containers” and people nod.

🗂️ Folder Structure

Here’s what your repo might look like:

nest-docker/
│── src/
│   └── main.ts
│── dist/
│   └── main.js
│── package.json
│── Dockerfile
│── .dockerignore
│── tsconfig.json

🐳 Step 1: Create .dockerignore

node_modules
dist
npm-debug.log

Keeps the image light. Nobody likes heavy containers.

🐳 Step 2: Create Dockerfile

# Stage 1: Build
FROM node:20-alpine AS builder

WORKDIR /app

COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm ci

COPY tsconfig*.json ./
COPY src ./src

RUN npm run build

# Stage 2: Production
FROM node:20-alpine

WORKDIR /app

COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm ci --omit=dev

COPY --from=builder /app/dist ./dist

EXPOSE 3000

CMD ["node", "dist/main.js"]

Two-stage build = small, fast, production-ready image 🚀

🐳 Step 3: Build Docker Image

docker build -t nest-docker-app .

🐳 Step 4: Run Locally (Optional, but fun)

docker run -p 3000:3000 nest-docker-app

Now open your browser: http://localhost:3000

Your app is alive inside a magical container! 🐳✨

🐳 Step 5: Deploy to Any Cloud

5a: DigitalOcean

• Push your image to Docker Hub or DigitalOcean Container Registry
• In App Platform, select Dockerfile deployment
• DO builds and runs your container magically

5b: AWS

• Push image to ECR
• Use Elastic Beanstalk Docker platform or ECS / Fargate
• AWS scales your container like a pro

5c: Any cloud (Heroku, Railway, Render)

• Most modern PaaS accept Dockerfile
• Push → Deploy → Sip chai → Celebrate 🎉

🎯 TL;DR

Step	Command / Notes
Build image	docker build -t nest-docker-app .
Run locally	docker run -p 3000:3000 nest-docker-app
Deploy to cloud	Push to Docker Hub / Cloud registry, run / scale

🏁 Summary

Docker is like a magic lunchbox: pack it once, eat it anywhere.

• Works on your laptop ✅
• Works on DigitalOcean ✅
• Works on AWS ✅
• Impresses your dev friends ✅

Bonus: You can tell people, “I containerized my NestJS app and it survived the apocalypse.” 😎