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Use containers for Next.js development

Table of contents

Prerequisites

Complete Containerize Next.js application.

Overview

In this section, you'll learn how to set up both production and development environments for your containerized Next.js application using Docker Compose. This setup allows you to run a production build using the standalone server and to develop efficiently inside containers using Next.js's built-in hot reloading with Compose Watch.

You'll learn how to:

  • Configure separate containers for production and development
  • Enable automatic file syncing using Compose Watch in development
  • Debug and live-preview your changes in real-time without manual rebuilds

Automatically update services (Development Mode)

Use Compose Watch to automatically sync source file changes into your containerized development environment. This automatically syncs file changes without needing to restart or rebuild containers manually.

Step 1: Create a development Dockerfile

Create a file named Dockerfile.dev in your project root with the following content (matching the sample project):

# ============================================
# Development Dockerfile for Next.js
# ============================================
ARG NODE_VERSION=24.14.0-slim

FROM node:${NODE_VERSION} AS dev

WORKDIR /app

COPY package.json yarn.lock* package-lock.json* pnpm-lock.yaml* .npmrc* ./

RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.npm \
    --mount=type=cache,target=/usr/local/share/.cache/yarn \
    --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.local/share/pnpm/store \
  if [ -f package-lock.json ]; then \
    npm ci --no-audit --no-fund; \
  elif [ -f yarn.lock ]; then \
    corepack enable yarn && yarn install --frozen-lockfile --production=false; \
  elif [ -f pnpm-lock.yaml ]; then \
    corepack enable pnpm && pnpm install --frozen-lockfile; \
  else \
    echo "No lockfile found." && exit 1; \
  fi

COPY . .

ENV WATCHPACK_POLLING=true
ENV HOSTNAME="0.0.0.0"

RUN chown -R node:node /app
USER node

EXPOSE 3000

CMD ["sh", "-c", "if [ -f package-lock.json ]; then npm run dev; elif [ -f yarn.lock ]; then yarn dev; elif [ -f pnpm-lock.yaml ]; then pnpm dev; else npm run dev; fi"]

This file sets up a development environment for your Next.js app with hot module replacement and supports npm, yarn, and pnpm.

Step 2: Update your compose.yaml file

Open your compose.yaml file and define two services: one for production (nextjs-prod-standalone) and one for development (nextjs-dev). This matches the sample project structure.

Here's an example configuration for a Next.js application:

services:
  nextjs-prod-standalone:
    build:
      context: .
      dockerfile: Dockerfile
    image: nextjs-sample:prod
    container_name: nextjs-sample-prod
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"

  nextjs-dev:
    build:
      context: .
      dockerfile: Dockerfile.dev
    image: nextjs-sample:dev
    container_name: nextjs-sample-dev
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    environment:
      - WATCHPACK_POLLING=true
    develop:
      watch:
        - action: sync
          path: .
          target: /app
          ignore:
            - node_modules/
            - .next/
        - action: rebuild
          path: package.json
  • The nextjs-prod-standalone service builds and runs your production Next.js app using the standalone output.
  • The nextjs-dev service runs your Next.js development server with hot module replacement.
  • watch triggers file sync with Compose Watch.
  • WATCHPACK_POLLING=true ensures file changes are detected properly inside Docker.
  • The rebuild action for package.json ensures dependencies are reinstalled when the file changes.
Note

For more details, see the official guide: Use Compose Watch.

Step 3: Configure Next.js for Docker development

Next.js works well inside Docker containers out of the box, but there are a few configurations that can improve the development experience.

The next.config.ts file you created during containerization already includes the output: "standalone" option for production. For development, Next.js automatically uses its built-in development server with hot reloading enabled.

Note

The Next.js development server automatically:

  • Enables Hot Module Replacement (HMR) for instant updates
  • Watches for file changes and recompiles automatically
  • Provides detailed error messages in the browser

The WATCHPACK_POLLING=true environment variable in the compose file ensures file watching works correctly inside Docker containers.

After completing the previous steps, your project directory should now contain the following files:

├── docker-nextjs-sample/
│ ├── Dockerfile
│ ├── Dockerfile.dev
│ ├── .dockerignore
│ ├── compose.yaml
│ ├── next.config.ts
│ └── README.Docker.md

Step 4: Start Compose Watch

Run the following command from your project root to start your container in watch mode:

$ docker compose watch nextjs-dev

Step 5: Test Compose Watch with Next.js

To verify that Compose Watch is working correctly:

  1. Open the app/page.tsx file in your text editor (or src/app/page.tsx if your project uses a src directory).

  2. Locate the main content area and find a text element to modify.

  3. Make a visible change, for example, update a heading:

    <h1>Hello from Docker Compose Watch!</h1>

  4. Save the file.

  5. Open your browser at http://localhost:3000.

You should see the updated text appear instantly, without needing to rebuild the container manually. This confirms that file watching and automatic synchronization are working as expected.

Summary

In this section, you set up a complete development and production workflow for your Next.js application using Docker and Docker Compose.

Here's what you achieved:

  • Created a Dockerfile.dev to streamline local development with hot reloading
  • Defined separate nextjs-dev and nextjs-prod-standalone services in your compose.yaml file
  • Enabled real-time file syncing using Compose Watch for a smoother development experience
  • Verified that live updates work seamlessly by modifying and previewing a component

With this setup, you can build, run, and iterate on your Next.js app entirely within containers across environments.

Deepen your knowledge and improve your containerized development workflow with these guides:

Next steps

In the next section, you'll learn how to run unit tests for your Next.js application inside Docker containers. This ensures consistent testing across all environments and removes dependencies on local machine setup.

Run Next.js tests in a container »