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.

This guide provides practical examples for using the dapr-daprd Docker Hardened Image to run the Dapr runtime sidecar alongside your applications.

Image contents

This Docker Hardened dapr-daprd image includes:

• The daprd binary built from the official Dapr releases
• The entrypoint is the daprd binary at /usr/local/bin/daprd
• An upstream-compatible /daprd symlink for manifests that override the command
• No default configuration - daprd is designed to be configured via command-line flags or config files

Start a dapr-daprd container

docker run -d --name daprd \
    -p 3500:3500 \
    -p 50001:50001 \
    dhi.io/dapr-daprd:<tag> \
    --app-id myapp \
    --dapr-http-port 3500 \
    --dapr-grpc-port 50001

This starts daprd with:

• HTTP API on port 3500
• gRPC API on port 50001
• App ID of "myapp"

Common use cases

Run with Docker Compose

cat <<EOF > docker-compose.yaml
services:
  app:
    image: your-app:latest
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    depends_on:
      - daprd

  daprd:
    image: dhi.io/dapr-daprd:<tag>
    command: [
      "--app-id", "myapp",
      "--app-port", "8080",
      "--dapr-http-port", "3500",
      "--dapr-grpc-port", "50001",
      "--log-level", "info"
    ]
    ports:
      - "3500:3500"
      - "50001:50001"
    network_mode: "service:app"
EOF

Start the stack:

docker compose up -d

Run daprd as sidecar to an application container

Create a Docker network for the sidecar pattern:

docker network create myapp-network

Start your application:

docker run -d --name myapp \
    --network myapp-network \
    -p 8080:8080 \
    your-app:latest

Start daprd as a sidecar:

docker run -d --name daprd \
    --network myapp-network \
    -p 3500:3500 \
    -p 50001:50001 \
    dhi.io/dapr-daprd:<tag> \
    --app-id myapp \
    --app-port 8080 \
    --dapr-http-port 3500 \
    --dapr-grpc-port 50001 \
    --log-level info

Your application can now access Dapr APIs at http://localhost:3500 (HTTP) or localhost:50001 (gRPC).

Configuration files and supported flags

For component, subscription, and configuration file layouts, follow the current upstream Dapr runtime documentation at dapr.io⁠. Dapr changes supported flags over time, so this guide intentionally avoids hard-coding advanced configuration flags beyond the basic startup patterns above.

Kubernetes deployment with sidecar injection

To use the dapr-daprd hardened image in Kubernetes, you can either use Dapr's automatic sidecar injection or manually configure the sidecar.

Manual sidecar configuration

Create a deployment with daprd as a sidecar container:

cat <<EOF > app-with-dapr.yaml
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: myapp
  namespace: default
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: myapp
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: myapp
    spec:
      containers:
        - name: myapp
          image: your-app:latest
          ports:
            - containerPort: 8080
              name: http
        - name: daprd
          image: dhi.io/dapr-daprd:<tag>
          args:
            - "--app-id"
            - "myapp"
            - "--app-port"
            - "8080"
            - "--dapr-http-port"
            - "3500"
            - "--dapr-grpc-port"
            - "50001"
            - "--log-level"
            - "info"
          ports:
            - containerPort: 3500
              name: dapr-http
            - containerPort: 50001
              name: dapr-grpc
            - containerPort: 9090
              name: metrics
      imagePullSecrets:
        - name: <your-registry-secret>
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: myapp
  namespace: default
spec:
  ports:
    - port: 8080
      targetPort: 8080
      name: http
    - port: 3500
      targetPort: 3500
      name: dapr-http
  selector:
    app: myapp
EOF

Apply the manifest:

kubectl apply -f app-with-dapr.yaml

Verify the deployment:

$ kubectl get pods -n default
NAME                     READY   STATUS    RESTARTS   AGE
myapp-6959756cc4-bbkp9   2/2     Running   0          38s

Access the Dapr sidecar:

$ kubectl port-forward -n default deployment/myapp 3500:3500
$ curl http://localhost:3500/v1.0/healthz

Non-hardened images vs Docker Hardened Images

Key differences

Entrypoint difference

Important: The DHI dapr-daprd image provides an entrypoint while the upstream daprio/daprd image does not. This is an intentional usability improvement that follows container best practices.

Upstream (daprio/daprd): No entrypoint defined. Users must specify the binary path:

# Upstream requires specifying the binary path
docker run daprio/daprd:1.17.3 /daprd --help
docker run daprio/daprd:1.17.3 /daprd --app-id myapp --dapr-http-port 3500

DHI (dhi.io/dapr-daprd): Entrypoint is /usr/local/bin/daprd, and the image also preserves the upstream /daprd path for compatibility with manifests that override the command:

# DHI allows direct usage without specifying binary path
docker run dhi.io/dapr-daprd:<tag> --help
docker run dhi.io/dapr-daprd:<tag> --app-id myapp --dapr-http-port 3500

In Kubernetes: The DHI entrypoint simplifies pod configuration:

# Upstream requires command override
spec:
  containers:
  - name: daprd
    image: daprio/daprd:1.17.3
    command: ["/daprd"]
    args: ["--app-id", "myapp"]

# DHI also works with command override because /daprd is preserved
spec:
  containers:
  - name: daprd
    image: dhi.io/dapr-daprd:<tag>
    command: ["/daprd"]
    args: ["--app-id", "myapp"]

Why this matters: Providing an entrypoint keeps the common docker run experience simple, while preserving /daprd avoids breaking existing manifests and command overrides that were written for the upstream image.

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 daprd

Or mount debugging tools with the image mount feature:

$ docker run --rm -it --pid container:daprd \
    --mount=type=image,source=dhi.io/busybox:<tag>,destination=/dbg,ro \
    dhi.io/dapr-daprd:<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

• FIPS variants include fips in the variant name and tag. They come in both runtime and build-time variants. These variants use cryptographic modules that have been validated under FIPS 140, a U.S. government standard for secure cryptographic operations. For example, usage of MD5 fails in FIPS variants.

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.

2. 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.

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

   If you're using a multi-stage build, update the runtime stage to use a non-dev hardened image. This ensures your production containers run with minimal attack surface.

Troubleshooting migration

The following are common issues that you may encounter during 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. To avoid issues, configure your application to listen on port 1025 or higher inside the container, even if you map it to a lower port on the host. For example, docker run -p 80:8080 my-image will work because the port inside the container is 8080, and docker run -p 80:81 my-image won't work because the port inside the container is 81.

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.