Skip to main content

Tagging the Image

Updated Mar 11, 2022 ·

Tags for Versioning

Tagging allows you to label specific versions of an image, which is crucial for deployment and rollback.

  • Simplifies tracking changes in image versions.
  • Facilitates reverting to previous versions if issues arise.

Tags as Aliases

Tags serve as aliases for Docker images, helping to identify different builds. If no tag is provided, Docker automatically assigns a "latest" tag.

  • Improves organization by categorizing builds.
  • Makes it easier to reference specific versions when deploying.

Tags Must Be ASCII Character Strings

Tags can consist of letters, digits, underscores, periods, and dashes, with restrictions on format.

  • Must not start with a period or a dash.
  • Can be up to 128 characters long.

Images Can Have More Than One Tag

Docker images can be assigned multiple tags, which may appear as separate images but reference the same image ID.

  • Offers flexibility in managing and deploying different versions.
  • Makes it easy to switch between versions without creating duplicates.

Tag Before Pushing the Image to a Container Registry

It is advisable to tag your image before pushing it to a Docker registry to avoid using random IDs.

  • Ensures images are properly identified in the registry.
  • Helps maintain consistency and clarity in versioning.