Dockerize

Dockerize is an open-source CLI for developers who want to take an existing app or monorepo and get to a usable Docker Compose setup fast.

It is built for the real local-development workflow:

• add services like Postgres, Redis, and Mailpit quickly
• detect apps inside an existing repository
• generate starter Dockerfiles and Compose services
• improve the developer experience for frontend/backend monorepos

Why Dockerize

Docker gives you strong primitives. What it does not give you well enough is a smooth developer experience for existing repositories, especially monorepos.

Teams still waste time on:

• writing the same Compose services again and again
• figuring out how to dockerize frontend + backend repos
• guessing ports, env files, and startup wiring
• adapting generic Docker examples to messy real projects

Dockerize exists to remove that repetition.

Who This Is For

Dockerize is useful if you are:

• a beginner who wants local services without hand-writing Compose files
• a full-stack developer working on frontend + backend repos
• a senior engineer who wants a faster starting point for local infrastructure
• a team working in a monorepo with apps and shared packages

What It Does Today

• detects Node.js, JavaScript, TypeScript, and Python apps
• detects simple monorepo layouts in apps/*, packages/*, and services/*
• identifies common frameworks like Next.js, Vite, Express, NestJS, Django, and FastAPI
• detects shared packages in monorepos
• generates starter Dockerfiles for detected apps
• adds app services to docker-compose.yml
• adds local infrastructure services with ports, env vars, volumes, and healthchecks
• checks common setup problems with dockerize doctor

Quick Install

npm install -g @boltenv.dev/dockerize

Quick Start

1. Initialize Dockerize in your repo

dockerize init

This creates:

• dockerize.json
• docker-compose.yml if one does not already exist
• .env.example if one does not already exist

2. Add local services

dockerize make postgres --tag 16
dockerize make redis
dockerize make mailpit

3. Dockerize your project

dockerize project

This scans the current repository, detects supported apps, creates starter Dockerfiles, and adds Compose services for them.

4. Check for local problems

dockerize doctor

This helps detect common issues such as:

• missing Docker setup
• missing env files
• busy ports
• missing Compose services

Example Workflows

Single app

For a single backend or frontend project:

dockerize init
dockerize make postgres
dockerize project
docker compose up --build

Monorepo

For a repo like this:

apps/
  web/
  api/
packages/
  ui/
  config/

run:

dockerize monorepo detect
dockerize project
dockerize make postgres

Commands

Setup

dockerize init
dockerize setup

Initialize Dockerize in the current repository.

Add services

dockerize make postgres --tag 16
dockerize make redis
dockerize make mysql
dockerize make mongodb
dockerize make minio
dockerize make mailpit

Short alias:

dockerize add postgres

Project dockerization

dockerize project
dockerize scan
dockerize dockerize

Generate Dockerfiles and Compose services from the current project.

Monorepo inspection

dockerize monorepo detect
dockerize mono scan

Inspect apps and shared packages inside the current workspace.

Diagnostics

dockerize doctor
dockerize check

Diagnose common Docker Compose setup issues.

List built-in services

dockerize services

Built-in Service Templates

• Postgres
• Redis
• Mailpit
• MySQL
• MongoDB
• MinIO

Current Positioning

Dockerize is not trying to replace Docker.

The goal is narrower and more useful:

Dockerize should become the monorepo-first Docker Compose CLI for existing apps.

That means the product should become especially good at:

• detecting frontend, backend, and worker apps
• understanding shared packages
• generating local-development-first Compose setups
• adding local infrastructure quickly
• improving the developer experience for real repos, not toy examples

Roadmap

Near-term priorities:

• stronger monorepo-aware Compose generation
• framework-specific Dockerfiles for Next.js, Django, FastAPI, and NestJS
• smarter service dependency wiring
• better doctor remediation output
• dry-run support

Open Source

Dockerize is open source and intended to be easy to contribute to.

Project docs:

• Contributing
• Code of Conduct
• Security Policy
• License

Development

npm install
npm run typecheck
npm run build
node dist/index.js --help

GitHub Metadata

Suggested GitHub title:

• Dockerize

Suggested GitHub description:

• Open-source CLI to dockerize existing apps and add local services with Docker Compose

Suggested GitHub topics:

• docker
• docker-compose
• cli
• typescript
• javascript
• python
• developer-tools
• devops
• monorepo