Avoid apk upgrade

MEDIUM

Avoid 'apk upgrade' in Dockerfiles. Use specific base image versions instead for reproducible builds.

Rule Information

Language
Docker
Category
Best Practice
Author
Shivasurya
Shivasurya
Last Updated
2026-03-22
Tags
dockerdockerfileapkpackage-manageralpineupgradereproducibilitybest-practiceanti-pattern
CWE References

Interactive Playground

Experiment with the vulnerable code and security rule below. Edit the code to see how the rule detects different vulnerability patterns.

pathfinder scan --ruleset docker/DOCKER-BP-028 --project .
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rule.py
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About This Rule

Understanding the vulnerability and how it is detected

Avoid 'apk upgrade' in Dockerfiles. Use specific base image versions instead for reproducible builds.

How to Fix

Recommended remediation steps

  • 1Review your Dockerfile to address the avoid apk upgrade issue
  • 2Follow Docker official best practices for image building
  • 3Use docker build --check to validate Dockerfile syntax and best practices

Similar Rules

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Avoid apk upgrade

Avoid 'apk upgrade' in Dockerfiles. Use specific base image versions instead for reproducible builds.
Review the secure code example in the playground above and apply the recommended pattern to your Dockerfile or docker-compose.yml.

New feature

Get these findings posted directly on your GitHub pull requests

The Avoid apk upgrade rule runs in CI and posts inline review comments on the exact lines — no dashboard, no SARIF viewer.

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