[remram]

Docker is a deployment mechanism. This means publishing Docker images is a deployment activity not a development one.

I don't think software developers should publish Docker images at all [1]. This is a huge impedance mismatch with serious security implications. In particular, your Docker image needs a regular release cadence that is different from your software releases.

Including a Dockerfile is fine, they allow the person doing the deployment to customize/rebuild the image as needed (and help with development and testing too).

[1]: Though I'm not saying you can't be both a developer and sysadmin in your organization. Are you?

[tomberek]

Agreed. Packaging is different than deployment. Devs should return to the art of packaging, such that their software can be then deployed into containers, VMs, micro VMs, whatever. That is what packaging allows, re-use.

This is the sort of behavior Nix encourages (disclaimer: I work at https://flox.dev , using Nix as our baseline tech). Docker as both a packaging and deployment format can carry a bit of weight, but can quickly get out of hand.