# phusion/baseimage-docker

A minimal Ubuntu base image modified for Docker-friendliness

Repository: https://github.com/phusion/baseimage-docker
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/baseimage-docker
Homepage: http://phusion.github.io/baseimage-docker/
Language: Shell
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Last push: 2026-08-23T02:39:22+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 99/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:39:23.370411+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 99, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4677, "days_push": 11, "days_rel": 11, "gap_med": 6, "n_releases_24m": 16}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 9096, forks 1072 (observed 2026-08-28T04:10:28.336655+00:00)

## What it is
A minimal Ubuntu-based Docker base image modified for correct behavior inside containers, including a proper init process and Docker-friendly administration tools. It serves as a foundation for building custom Docker images without reinventing container-specific system configuration.

## Use cases
- build a custom Docker image on a correctly configured Ubuntu base
- run multiple processes in a single Docker container without breaking the one-process philosophy
- avoid corner cases of running Ubuntu's init system inside containers
- reduce Dockerfile build time and redeploy download size with a shared base image
- get a lightweight base image (8.3 MB RAM) more capable than Busybox or Alpine

## When to choose
- you want an Ubuntu-based container base with correct init and system services
- you need to run multiple processes or cron jobs inside one container
- you want to save time writing correct Dockerfiles for Ubuntu images

## When to avoid
- you prefer Alpine or distroless images for minimal size and attack surface
- your app fits cleanly into a single-process container with no init needs
- you are not using Docker or a compatible OCI container runtime

## Facets
- artifact type: infra-config
- maturity: active
- function: container-runtime, deployment, developer-tools, self-hosted
- domain: infrastructure-as-code, self-hosted
- platform: cloud, self-hosted
- tags: docker-base-image, ubuntu, init-system, multi-process, dockerfile, containers, devops, docker, linux

## Member repositories
- phusion/baseimage-docker (main) score 99

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:28.336655+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T17:23:59.309933+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/phusion/baseimage-docker (fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:28.336655+00:00, sha 066524f41c90)
  - homepage: http://phusion.github.io/baseimage-docker/ (fetched 2026-08-29T08:23:44.758682+00:00, sha 8952f393e166)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.