How to use this image

All examples in this guide use the public image. If you’ve mirrored the repository for your own use (for example, to your Docker Hub namespace), update your commands to reference the mirrored image instead of the public one.

For example:

• Public image: dhi.io/<repository>:<tag>
• Mirrored image: <your-namespace>/dhi-<repository>:<tag>

For the examples, you must first use docker login dhi.io to authenticate to the registry to pull the images.

What's included in this Amazon Corretto image

This Docker Hardened Amazon Corretto image includes the full Amazon Corretto JDK in a single, security-hardened package:

• Amazon Corretto JDK: Complete Java Development Kit including compiler, runtime, and development tools with Amazon's performance and stability patches
• Java tools: All standard JDK binaries (java, javac, jar, etc.) symlinked to /usr/bin for easy access
• TLS certificates: Pre-installed CA certificates for secure connections
• Locale support: UTF-8 locale configuration (en_US.UTF-8)
• Amazon enhancements: Performance improvements and stability fixes tested on thousands of Amazon's production services

Start an Amazon Corretto instance

docker run dhi.io/amazoncorretto:<tag>

To run a development container and get a shell, use a tag with the -dev suffix (e.g., 21-dev) and run:

docker run -it --entrypoint bash dhi.io/amazoncorretto:<tag>

Common Amazon Corretto use cases

Run a Java application

Run your compiled Java application directly from the container. Mount your local JAR file and run it:

docker run -v $(pwd):/app dhi.io/amazoncorretto:<tag> java -jar /app/myapp.jar

Compile and run Java code

Use the development variant to compile and run Java applications.

Create a Java file:

echo 'public class Hello { public static void main(String[] args) { System.out.println("Hello from Corretto!"); } }' > Hello.java

Compile and run:

docker run -v $(pwd):/app -w /app dhi.io/amazoncorretto:21-dev sh -c "javac Hello.java && java Hello"

Multi-stage build for production

Use a dev variant for building and a runtime variant for production.

# Build stage
FROM dhi.io/amazoncorretto:21-dev AS builder
WORKDIR /app
COPY . .
RUN javac MyApp.java

# Runtime stage
FROM dhi.io/amazoncorretto:21
WORKDIR /app
COPY --from=builder /app/*.class .
CMD ["java", "MyApp"]

Docker Official Images vs Docker Hardened Images

Key differences

Why no shell or package manager?

Docker Hardened Images prioritize security through minimalism:

• Reduced attack surface: Fewer binaries mean fewer potential vulnerabilities
• Immutable infrastructure: Runtime containers shouldn't be modified after deployment
• Compliance ready: Meets strict security requirements for regulated environments

The hardened images intended for runtime don't contain a shell nor any tools for debugging. Common debugging methods for applications built with Docker Hardened Images include:

• Docker Debug⁠ to attach to containers
• Docker's Image Mount feature to mount debugging tools
• Ecosystem-specific debugging approaches

Docker Debug provides a shell, common debugging tools, and lets you install other tools in an ephemeral, writable layer that only exists during the debugging session. For example, you can use Docker Debug:

docker debug <container-name>

or mount debugging tools with the Image Mount feature:

docker run --rm -it --pid container:my-java-app \
  --mount=type=image,source=dhi.io/busybox,destination=/dbg,ro \
  dhi.io/amazoncorretto:<tag> /dbg/bin/sh

Image variants

Docker Hardened Images come in different variants depending on their intended use.

Runtime variants are designed to run your application in production. These images are intended to be used either directly or as the FROM image in the final stage of a multi-stage build. These images typically:

• Run as the nonroot user
• Do not include a shell or a package manager
• Contain only the minimal set of libraries needed to run the app

Build-time variants typically include dev in the variant name and are intended for use in the first stage of a multi-stage Dockerfile. These images typically:

• Run as the root user
• Include a shell and package manager
• Are used to build or compile applications

Alpine variant considerations

Alpine-based variants use musl libc instead of glibc, which may cause compatibility issues with some Java applications. Software using the Native Method Interface (JNI) may encounter problems. Consider using Debian-based variants if you experience compatibility issues.

Migrate to a Docker Hardened Image

To migrate your application to a Docker Hardened Image, you must update your Dockerfile. At minimum, you must update the base image in your existing Dockerfile to a Docker Hardened Image. This and a few other common changes are listed in the following table of migration notes:

The following steps outline the general migration process.

1. Find hardened images for your app.

A hardened image may have several variants. Inspect the image tags and find the image variant that meets your needs. Amazon Corretto images are available in versions 8, 11, 17, and 21.

1. Update the base image in your Dockerfile.

Update the base image in your application's Dockerfile to the hardened image you found in the previous step. For framework images, this is typically going to be an image tagged as dev because it has the tools needed to install packages and dependencies.

1. For multi-stage Dockerfiles, update the runtime image in your Dockerfile.

To ensure that your final image is as minimal as possible, you should use a multi-stage build. All stages in your Dockerfile should use a hardened image. While intermediary stages will typically use images tagged as dev, your final runtime stage should use a non-dev image variant.

1. Install additional packages

Docker Hardened Images contain minimal packages in order to reduce the potential attack surface. You may need to install additional packages in your Dockerfile. Inspect the image variants to identify which packages are already installed.

Only images tagged as dev typically have package managers. You should use a multi-stage Dockerfile to install the packages. Install the packages in the build stage that uses a dev image. Then, if needed, copy any necessary artifacts to the runtime stage that uses a non-dev image.

For Alpine-based images, you can use apk to install packages. For Debian-based images, you can use apt-get to install packages.

Troubleshoot migration

General debugging

The hardened images intended for runtime don't contain a shell nor any tools for debugging. The recommended method for debugging applications built with Docker Hardened Images is to use Docker Debug⁠ to attach to these containers. Docker Debug provides a shell, common debugging tools, and lets you install other tools in an ephemeral, writable layer that only exists during the debugging session.

Permissions

By default image variants intended for runtime, run as the nonroot user. Ensure that necessary files and directories are accessible to the nonroot user. You may need to copy files to different directories or change permissions so your application running as the nonroot user can access them.

Privileged ports

Non-dev hardened images run as a nonroot user by default. As a result, applications in these images can't bind to privileged ports (below 1024) when running in Kubernetes or in Docker Engine versions older than 20.10. Configure your Java applications to listen on ports 8080, 8443, or other ports above 1024.

No shell

By default, image variants intended for runtime don't contain a shell. Use dev images in build stages to run shell commands and then copy any necessary artifacts into the runtime stage. In addition, use Docker Debug to debug containers with no shell.

Entry point

Docker Hardened Images may have different entry points than images such as Docker Official Images. Use docker inspect to inspect entry points for Docker Hardened Images and update your Dockerfile if necessary.