Docker image tagging and versioning

Topic: Containers core

Tag images with meaningful versions: myapp:1.0.0 or myapp:latest. Use semantic versions for releases; avoid relying only on latest in production. Use this when publishing or deploying images.

Intent: How-to

Quick answer

  • docker tag image_id myrepo/myapp:1.0.0. docker push myrepo/myapp:1.0.0. Use semantic version or git sha for reproducibility.
  • latest moves; pin production to a specific tag. Use digest for maximum pinning: myapp@sha256:...
  • Tag in CI from version or commit; push both version and latest if desired. Do not overwrite immutable tags in registry.

Prerequisites

Steps

  1. Tag with version

    docker tag myapp myrepo/myapp:1.0.0. Use version from env or git tag. Push: docker push myrepo/myapp:1.0.0.

  2. Pin in production

    Use myapp:1.0.0 or myapp@sha256:... in deploy. Avoid latest for production.

  3. Multi-tag

    docker tag myapp myrepo/myapp:1.0.0 myrepo/myapp:latest. Push both. Prefer immutable tags.

Summary

Tag with version or digest; push to registry; pin production to specific tag or digest.

Prerequisites

Steps

Step 1: Tag with version

Tag image with version; push to registry.

Step 2: Pin in production

Deploy with specific tag or digest; avoid latest.

Step 3: Multi-tag

Tag same image as version and latest if needed; prefer immutable tags.

Verification

  • Deployed version matches tag or digest; no surprise updates.

Troubleshooting

Wrong version — Pin by tag or digest. Tag overwritten — Use immutable tags or digest.

Next steps

Continue to