[Idea] Buildpack for any app that contains a Dockerfile

[collimarco]

What do you think about having a generic buildpack that can pack/build any app that contains a Dockerfile?

Basically it would be a fallback, similar to a simple docker build, but having that would make pack (and similar) more complete.

Also, if in production you have some apps that use pack and other that use docker build, you could always use the same CNB entrypoint, without wondering every time how the image was built (pack / plain docker).

[dfreilich]

In general, the Buildpacks project doesn't maintain any buildpacks themselves; it's the different vendors who do. Of those, I believe that Google Cloud Run has a mechanism which operates like that, building if there is a Dockerfile present, though I'm not sure whether it works with a "Dockerfile" buildpack, or separately.

[dfreilich]

The idea has been raised in the past, but there has been pushback from many of the members of the project. I think that introducing that mechanism would complicate the workings of pack significantly. Ultimately, though, we'd welcome a contribution to the Buildpacks Registry of a Buildpack which did that!

[natalieparellano]

Possibly relevant: https://github.com/buildpacks/rfcs/blob/main/text/0105-dockerfiles.md introduces the concept of an image extension which could in theory consume a Dockerfile from an application directory.