Skip to main content
Package lists in install commands should be sorted alphabetically.
PropertyValue
SeverityStyle
CategoryStyle
DefaultEnabled
Auto-fixYes (safe)

​
Description

Whenever possible, multi-line arguments should be sorted alphanumerically to make maintenance easier. This helps to avoid duplication of packages and makes the list much easier to update. This also makes PRs a lot easier to read and review. This rule enforces the official Docker best practice for sorting package lists across common package manager install commands.

​
Supported Package Managers

ManagerInstall subcommands
apt-get, aptinstall
apkadd
dnf, yuminstall
zypperinstall, in
npminstall, i, add
yarnadd
pnpmadd, install, i
pip, pip3install
bunadd, install, i
composerrequire
uvadd, pip install
chocoinstall

​
Sort key extraction

Version specifiers are stripped for comparison:
  • flask==2.0 sorts as flask
  • curl=7.88.1-10+deb12u5 sorts as curl
  • @eslint/js@8.0.0 sorts as @eslint/js (npm scoped package)
Sorting is case-insensitive.

​
Variable arguments

When install commands mix literal packages and variable references ($PKG, ${PKG}), only the literal packages are sorted. Variables are kept at the end in their original relative order. Variable tokens are never touched by edits, avoiding conflicts with other rules like ShellCheck quoting.

​
Skipped cases

No violation is emitted when:
  • Fewer than 2 literal packages (nothing to sort)
  • File-based install: pip install -r requirements.txt, pip install -e .
  • All arguments are variables
  • Exec-form RUN: RUN ["apt-get", "install", "curl"]
  • Packages are already sorted

​
Examples

​
Bad

RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
    wget \
    curl \
    git \
    mercurial \
    subversion

RUN npm install express axios

​
Good

RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
    curl \
    git \
    mercurial \
    subversion \
    wget

RUN npm install axios express

​
Auto-fix

This rule provides a safe auto-fix that sorts packages in-place. Only the package name text is replaced; whitespace, continuation backslashes, and newlines are preserved. 
tally lint --fix Dockerfile

​
Configuration

No custom configuration options. The rule is enabled by default with severity “style”. 
# Disable the rule
[rules.tally.sort-packages]
severity = "off"

​
References