Files
yuneng-jiang 1fd8ab4c5f fix(docker): copy only runtime artifacts into the final image (#30243)
* fix(docker): copy only runtime artifacts into the final image

The runtime stage previously copied the builder's entire /app workspace,
shipping the full source tree and dependency manifests (uv.lock, the
dashboard package-lock.json, ui/) in the published images. Tools that
read manifests found in an image attribute every pin in them to the
image, including packages that are never installed, which produces
recurring false reports against the official images.

The runtime stage now copies an explicit allowlist: the venv (where the
application is installed), the entrypoint scripts, schema.prisma,
prisma_migration.py (invoked by source path from entrypoint.sh), and
the prisma binary caches. npm and its globally installed helper
packages are dropped from the runtime stage; node stays for the prisma
CLI. The database image's /root/.cache copy is narrowed to the prisma
subdirs, matching the main Dockerfile, which removes the uv build cache
from that image (-1.1GB).

Verified on locally built images for all three variants against a
contract suite that passes 100% on the v1.88.1 baselines: byte-identical
venv vs old-Dockerfile builds from the same commit, DB-less and
Postgres-backed boots, migration entrypoint, real completion and
streaming calls, admin UI, key generation, non-root UID behavior.
Image sizes: main 1.71GB -> 1.53GB, database 2.68GB -> 1.53GB

* fix(docker): restore enterprise source dir required by runtime imports

litellm/proxy/hooks/__init__.py, callback_utils.py and
customer_endpoints.py import enterprise.* by source path, resolved via
the cwd entry proxy_cli appends to sys.path, with silent ImportError
fallbacks. Dropping /app/enterprise from the runtime image emptied
ENTERPRISE_PROXY_HOOKS and broke managed files (e2e_openai_endpoints
caught it). Restore the directory in all three runtime stages
2026-06-11 23:46:23 -07:00
..

Docker Development Guide

This guide provides instructions for building and running the LiteLLM application using Docker and Docker Compose.

Prerequisites

  • Docker
  • Docker Compose

Building and Running the Application

To build and run the application, you will use the docker-compose.yml file located in the root of the project. This file is configured to use the Dockerfile.non_root for a secure, non-root container environment.

1. Set the Master Key

The application requires a LITELLM_MASTER_KEY for signing and validating tokens. You must set this key as an environment variable before running the application.

Create a .env file in the root of the project and add the following line:

LITELLM_MASTER_KEY=your-secret-key

Replace your-secret-key with a strong, randomly generated secret.

2. Build and Run the Containers

Once you have set the LITELLM_MASTER_KEY, you can build and run the containers using the following command:

docker compose up -d --build

This command will:

  • Build the Docker image using Dockerfile.non_root.
  • Start the litellm, litellm_db, and prometheus services in detached mode (-d).
  • The --build flag ensures that the image is rebuilt if there are any changes to the Dockerfile or the application code.

3. Verifying the Application is Running

You can check the status of the running containers with the following command:

docker compose ps

To view the logs of the litellm container, run:

docker compose logs -f litellm

4. Stopping the Application

To stop the running containers, use the following command:

docker compose down

Hardened / Offline Testing

To ensure changes are safe for non-root, read-only root filesystems and restricted egress, always validate with the hardened compose file:

docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.hardened.yml build --no-cache
docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.hardened.yml up -d

This setup:

  • Builds from docker/Dockerfile.non_root with Prisma engines and Node toolchain baked into the image.
  • Runs the proxy as a non-root user with a read-only rootfs and only writable tmpfs mounts:
    • /app/cache (Prisma/NPM cache; backing PRISMA_BINARY_CACHE_DIR, NPM_CONFIG_CACHE, XDG_CACHE_HOME)
    • /app/migrations (Prisma migration workspace; backing LITELLM_MIGRATION_DIR)
  • Pre-builds and serves the admin UI from read-only paths:
    • /var/lib/litellm/ui (pre-restructured Next.js UI with .litellm_ui_ready marker)
    • /var/lib/litellm/assets (UI logos and assets)
  • Routes all outbound traffic through a local Squid proxy that denies egress, so Prisma migrations must use the cached CLI and engines.

You should also verify offline Prisma behaviour with:

docker run --rm --network none --entrypoint prisma ghcr.io/berriai/litellm:main-stable --version

This command should succeed (showing engine versions) even with --network none, confirming that Prisma binaries are available without network access.

Troubleshooting

  • build_admin_ui.sh: not found: This error can occur if the Docker build context is not set correctly. Ensure that you are running the docker-compose command from the root of the project.
  • Master key is not initialized: This error means the LITELLM_MASTER_KEY environment variable is not set. Make sure you have created a .env file in the project root with the LITELLM_MASTER_KEY defined.