Helipack Engine

Dockerfile Without Writing.

Helipack is Helipod's internal build engine that detects frameworks from your repository and generates production-ready Dockerfiles — with multi-stage builds, build secrets, and security best practices.

Live Demo
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Runtime Detection
composer.json
artisan
package.json
yarn.lock
Dockerfile (auto-generated)
FROM dunglas/frankenphp:latest-php8.3-alpine AS base
WORKDIR /app
COPY --from=composer:2 /usr/bin/composer /usr/bin/composer
 
FROM base AS deps
COPY composer.json composer.lock ./
RUN composer install --no-dev --prefer-dist
 
FROM base AS runner
COPY . .
COPY --from=deps /app/vendor ./vendor
RUN composer dump-autoload --optimize
 
RUN --mount=type=secret,id=build_env \
php artisan config:cache && php artisan route:cache
 
EXPOSE 8000
CMD ["frankenphp", "run"]

Why this feature matters?

Runtime Detection

Helipack scans the repository and detects frameworks from configuration files, dependencies, and project structure.

Multi-stage Build

Generated Dockerfiles use multi-stage builds to minimize production image size.

Build Secrets

Environment variables used during build are not stored in image layers using BuildKit secrets.

Built-in Security

Non-root user, tini init process, and optimized layer caching — all configured automatically.

Framework-aware

FrankenPHP for Laravel 8.2+, standalone mode for Next.js, gunicorn for Python — optimized per framework.

Optimal Cache

Layers are arranged by change frequency. Dependencies rarely change, source code changes often — builds are fast.

How it works

1

Connect Repository

Connect your GitHub/GitLab repo. Helipack starts scanning files in the repository.

2

Detect Framework

Helipack reads composer.json, package.json, requirements.txt, and config files to detect the framework.

3

Generate Dockerfile

An optimal multi-stage Dockerfile is generated automatically — with security best practices.

4

Build & Deploy

The Docker image is built with optimal caching, then deployed to production.

Frequently Asked Questions

What frameworks does Helipack support?

Helipack supports Node.js (Next.js, Nuxt, Remix, Astro, Express, NestJS), PHP (Laravel, Symfony), Python (Django, FastAPI, Flask), and Go (Gin, Echo). For other languages (Rust, Ruby, Java), use your own Dockerfile.

How can I view the generated Dockerfile?

Check Build Logs during deploy. Or for local development, set HELIPACK_KEEP_DOCKERFILE=1 before build — Helipack will save the file as .helipack.Dockerfile.

How do I override Helipack config?

Create a helipack.json file in the repository root to override build command, start command, port, health check, packages, and more. Read the full guide on the blog.

Is Helipack safe for production?

Yes. All Dockerfiles use BuildKit secrets (env vars not stored in layers), non-root user, and tini init process for graceful shutdown.

Ready to try?

Start now, no credit card required. Just connect your repo and see how fast you can deploy.

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