arconia-io Build Container Images for Spring Boot
Use arconia image build to package a Spring Boot application as a container
image. Two strategies are available:
| Strategy | Command | Dockerfile needed? |
|---|---|---|
| Buildpacks | arconia image build buildpacks |
No |
| Dockerfile | arconia image build dockerfile |
Yes |
Both require an OCI container runtime (Podman or Docker) installed and running.
Buildpacks (recommended for most projects)
Cloud Native Buildpacks auto-detect the application type and produce an optimised image without a Dockerfile.
arconia image build buildpacks
With a custom image name:
arconia image build buildpacks --image-name ghcr.io/arconia-io/my-app:1.0.0
Buildpacks options
| Option | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
--image-name |
Image name and optional tag | |
--builder-image |
(from Spring Boot plugin) | Buildpacks Builder image |
--run-image |
(from Builder) | Buildpacks Run image (base image of the produced container) |
--clean-cache |
false |
Clean the Buildpacks local cache before building |
--publish-image |
false |
Publish the image to an OCI registry after building |
--image-platform |
Target platform(s) (e.g., linux/amd64, linux/arm64) |
|
--clean |
false |
Clean build the application before building the image |
--skip-tests |
false |
Skip tests during the application build |
Multi-architecture images
Specify multiple platforms to build a multi-arch OCI image index:
arconia image build buildpacks \
--image-name ghcr.io/arconia-io/my-app:1.0.0 \
--image-platform linux/amd64 \
--image-platform linux/arm64 \
--publish-image
Multi-arch builds require --publish-image because the OCI image index must be
assembled from manifests already present in a registry.
Publish to a registry
Authenticate with the registry first, then use --publish-image:
podman login ghcr.io
arconia image build buildpacks \
--image-name ghcr.io/arconia-io/my-app:1.0.0 \
--publish-image
Dockerfile / Containerfile
Use this strategy when you need full control over the image build.
arconia image build dockerfile --image-name ghcr.io/arconia-io/my-app:1.0.0
The command looks for a Dockerfile/Containerfile in these locations (in order):
Containerfile(project root)Dockerfile(project root)src/main/podman/Containerfilesrc/main/podman/Dockerfilesrc/main/docker/Containerfilesrc/main/docker/Dockerfile
Dockerfile options
| Option | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
--image-name or -t |
(required) | Image name and optional tag |
--dockerfile, --containerfile, or -f |
(auto-detected) | Path to the Dockerfile/Containerfile |
--oci-runtime |
(auto-detected: Podman then Docker) | OCI runtime to use (docker or podman) |
Example multi-stage Dockerfile
FROM docker.io/library/eclipse-temurin:25-noble AS builder
WORKDIR /builder
# Adjust to 'target/*.jar' for Maven
ARG JAR_FILE=build/libs/*.jar
COPY ${JAR_FILE} application.jar
RUN java -Djarmode=tools -jar application.jar extract --layers --destination extracted
FROM docker.io/library/eclipse-temurin:25-jre-noble
RUN useradd spring
USER spring
WORKDIR /application
COPY --from=builder /builder/extracted/dependencies/ ./
COPY --from=builder /builder/extracted/spring-boot-loader/ ./
COPY --from=builder /builder/extracted/snapshot-dependencies/ ./
COPY --from=builder /builder/extracted/application/ ./
ENTRYPOINT ["java", "-jar", "application.jar"]
Pass extra arguments to the build tool
Use -- to forward arguments to the underlying Maven or Gradle command:
arconia image build buildpacks -- --stacktrace
arconia image build buildpacks -- -DmyProperty=value
Workflow
- Build and test the application:
arconia build && arconia test - Build the image:
arconia image build buildpacks(ordockerfile) - Verify locally:
podman run --rm -p 8080:8080 <image-name> - Publish: add
--publish-image(buildpacks) or push manually (dockerfile)
Gotchas
- An OCI container runtime (Podman or Docker) must be installed and running. The CLI prefers Podman and falls back to Docker.
arconia image build buildpacksdoes not require--image-name— it defaults to the Spring Boot plugin configuration.arconia image build dockerfilerequires--image-name.- Multi-arch builds with multiple
--image-platformvalues require--publish-imagebecause the manifest list must be assembled in a registry. - To push images, authenticate with the registry first (e.g.,
podman login ghcr.io). - All commands support
--verbose(-v) for detailed output when debugging build issues. - The
--separator is required to distinguish Arconia CLI flags from build tool arguments. Everything after--is passed directly to Maven or Gradle.