Metadata

Id: dockerfile-run-using-apt

Platform: Dockerfile

Severity: Low

Category: Supply-Chain

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Description

Using the interactive apt front-end in Dockerfile RUN instructions is discouraged because its user-facing behavior can change between versions and it may prompt for input during non-interactive image builds. This can cause build failures or incomplete/incorrect package installations that leave images outdated or inconsistent.

This rule flags Dockerfile RUN commands that invoke apt as a command (for example RUN apt ...) and instead requires using scripting-friendly tools such as apt-get and apt-cache. Replace apt with apt-get/apt-cache, run apt-get update before installs, use non-interactive and affirmative flags (for example, -y --no-install-recommends), and clean apt caches to reduce image size and avoid stale state.

Secure example:

RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends <package> && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*

Compliant Code Examples

FROM busybox:1.0
RUN apt-get install curl
HEALTHCHECK CMD curl --fail http://localhost:3000 || exit 1 

FROM debian:bookworm
# The literal string "apt " appears here inside an echo argument used to
# write a sources.list entry — this is NOT a `RUN apt ...` invocation and
# must not be flagged.
RUN echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/postgresql-common/pgdg/apt.postgresql.org.asc] https://apt.postgresql.org/pub/repos/apt bookworm-pgdg main" \
       > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/pgdg.list \
    && apt-get update \
    && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends postgresql-client-16 \
    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
HEALTHCHECK CMD curl --fail http://localhost:3000 || exit 1

Non-Compliant Code Examples

FROM busybox:1.0
RUN apt install curl
HEALTHCHECK CMD curl --fail http://localhost:3000 || exit 1