Implementation:Bentoml BentoML Container Build

Sources	Domains	Last Updated
BentoML, BentoML Containerization	ML_Serving, Containerization, OCI_Images	2026-02-13 15:00 GMT

Overview

The bentoml.container.build() function wraps multiple container build backends (Docker, Podman, Buildx, etc.) to convert a Bento artifact into an OCI-compliant container image.

Description

This function serves as a unified wrapper over pluggable container build backends. It accepts a Bento tag, selects the appropriate backend, generates a Dockerfile from the Bento's environment specification, and invokes the backend's build command. Additional features (such as gRPC or tracing support) can be enabled via the features parameter, which installs optional dependency groups into the container.

Usage

Call after building a Bento to produce a container image. Typically invoked via the CLI (bentoml containerize) or programmatically for CI/CD automation.

Code Reference

Source Location: Repository: bentoml/BentoML, File: src/bentoml/container.py (L362-406)

Signature:

def build(
    bento_tag: Tag | str,
    backend: DefaultBuilder = "docker",
    image_tag: tuple[str] = None,
    features: Sequence[str] = None,
    **kwargs,
) -> Any

Import:

import bentoml

bentoml.container.build(...)

I/O Contract

Inputs:

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
bento_tag	Tag or str	Yes	Tag of the built Bento artifact (e.g., "my-service:abc123")
backend	DefaultBuilder	No	Container build backend (default "docker")
image_tag	tuple[str]	No	One or more image tags to apply to the built image
features	Sequence[str]	No	Optional feature groups to install (e.g., "tracing", "grpc")
**kwargs	dict	No	Additional backend-specific arguments

Backend Options:

Backend	Description	Key Use Case
"docker"	Standard Docker daemon build	Default local builds
"buildx"	Docker Buildx (BuildKit)	Multi-platform images
"podman"	Podman rootless build	Rootless / daemonless environments
"buildah"	Buildah OCI image builder	Daemonless OCI builds
"nerdctl"	containerd-native CLI	containerd environments
"buildctl"	BuildKit low-level client	Advanced BuildKit usage

Outputs:

Container image built and tagged in the selected backend's image store

Usage Examples

Example 1 -- Basic Docker build:

import bentoml

bentoml.container.build(
    "my-service:latest",
    backend="docker",
    image_tag=("my-registry/my-service:v1",),
)

Example 2 -- Multi-platform build with Buildx:

import bentoml

bentoml.container.build(
    "my-service:abc123",
    backend="buildx",
    image_tag=("my-service:latest",),
    platform="linux/amd64,linux/arm64",
)

Example 3 -- Build with optional features:

import bentoml

bentoml.container.build(
    "my-service:latest",
    features=["grpc", "tracing"],
)

Example 4 -- Rootless build with Podman:

import bentoml

bentoml.container.build(
    "my-service:latest",
    backend="podman",
    image_tag=("localhost/my-service:v1",),
)

Related Pages

Principle:Bentoml_BentoML_Container_Image_Building

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