Introduction to Containers and CI/CD

Dependency Management

Docker Fundamentals

Environment Variables and Configuration

Python CI Pipeline

Azure Container Registry and Deployment

Practice

Assignment

Gotchas & Pitfalls

Week 5 Lesson Plan (Teachers)

Gotchas & Pitfalls

Content coming soon...

Suggested Topics

• Forgetting .dockerignore: accidentally copying .env files or .git into the image
• Using a fat base image: bloated images that are slow to build and push
• Hardcoding secrets in Dockerfiles or GitHub Actions workflows
• Caching issues: Docker layer caching not invalidating when dependencies change
• CI failures from inconsistent Python or dependency versions between local and CI
• Forgetting to pin dependency versions: builds break when a new package release is incompatible
• Platform mismatch (arm64 vs amd64): students on Apple Silicon Macs building images that fail on Azure. Use --platform linux/amd64 flag.
• Running as root inside the container: common beginner Dockerfile mistake with security implications
• GitHub Actions workflow YAML indentation errors: invisible whitespace causing failures
• Accidentally committing .env file with real API keys to git. Recovery: git rm --cached .env.

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