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Build a custom image on Anyscale

You can build custom images that extend the functionality of base images provided by Anyscale. This page provides an overview of this functionality and an example of building a custom image with the console. To use the CLI or SDK, see Image API Reference.

Anyscale generates a new version each time you build your image. You can view the definitions for all versions of images from the Container images page in the console.

You can select your custom images from the console when defining workspaces or use the image URI when using the CLI or SDK to start Ray clusters.

note

The Anyscale custom image build tools only support extending Anyscale base images. Contact Anyscale Support if you need to use other images when building images on Anyscale.

Define a custom image for Anyscale​

Anyscale uses a subset of Dockerfile syntax to customize images.

Use the following Dockerfile instructions when defining your custom image:

Supported instructionsDescription
FROMCreate a new build from an existing Anyscale base image.
ENVSet environment variables.
ARGSet build-time only variables. You must specify a default value because there's no interactive mode when building on Anyscale, for example ARG variable_name=some_value.
WORKDIRChange the working directory. Note: This is only for build time and doesn't affect where Anyscale starts your job, service, or the workspace default working directory.
COPYCopy files and directories from a previous build stage, not from local storage.
RUNExecute build commands.

Build a custom image in the console​

Complete the following steps to create a simple custom image in the Anyscale console:

  1. From the console home screen, select Configuration > Container images.
  2. Click + Build.
  3. In the Name field, provide a unique name for the image.
    • The URI of the image generates automatically. Use this URI to reference this image when you create a workspace, job, or service.
  4. The editor displays template text to help you define your image. For example, update the definition to the following: 
    FROM anyscale/ray:2.47.1-slim-py312
    RUN pip install --no-cache-dir --upgrade emoji
  5. Click Build.