How to use Docker Buildx to build multi-language and multi-architecture images?

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The modern development world involves supporting multiple hardware architectures, such as traditional x86_64 processors and modern energy-efficient ARM-based chips, including Apple Silicon processors and server solutions. Docker Buildx is a powerful tool based on the BuildKit extension that allows you to build cross-platform images for various processors from a single workstation.

The traditional build mechanism creates an image only for the host architecture on which the command is running. Buildx uses emulation and modern compilation features to simultaneously create a single multi-platform image manifest that automatically detects the target device's architecture when downloaded from the registry.

To get started with the tool, you need to create and activate a new builder instance that supports advanced isolation and parallel build capabilities. After that, the developer can use a special platform flag to specify the required target architectures.

1. Create a new builder instance using the buildx create command and make it the active default.
2. Prepare the Dockerfile using standard multi-stage instructions and avoid tying it to a specific host architecture.
3. Run the build process with the platform flag, listing the required target systems separated by commas.
4. Specify the flag to push the result to a remote registry, as it is impossible to locally save a multi-architecture image in a single storage.

Using Buildx significantly simplifies the support of distributed systems and cloud infrastructures where applications can run on both powerful cloud servers and edge IoT devices with different types of processor architectures.

How to use Docker Buildx to build multi-language and multi-architecture images?

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