buildx/docs/guides/bake/build-contexts.md

---
title: "Defining additional build contexts and linking targets"
keywords: build, buildx, bake, buildkit, hcl
---

In addition to the main `context` key that defines the build context each target
can also define additional named contexts with a map defined with key `contexts`.
These values map to the `--build-context` flag in the [build command](https://docs.docker.com/engine/reference/commandline/buildx_build/#build-context).

Inside the Dockerfile these contexts can be used with the `FROM` instruction or `--from` flag.

The value can be a local source directory, container image (with `docker-image://` prefix),
Git URL, HTTP URL or a name of another target in the Bake file (with `target:` prefix).

## Pinning alpine image

```dockerfile
# syntax=docker/dockerfile:1
FROM alpine
RUN echo "Hello world"
```

```hcl
# docker-bake.hcl
target "app" {
  contexts = {
    alpine = "docker-image://alpine:3.13"
  }
}
```

## Using a secondary source directory

```dockerfile
# syntax=docker/dockerfile:1
FROM scratch AS src

FROM golang
COPY --from=src . .
```

```hcl
# docker-bake.hcl
target "app" {
  contexts = {
    src = "../path/to/source"
  }
}
```

## Using a result of one target as a base image in another target

To use a result of one target as a build context of another, specity the target
name with `target:` prefix.

```dockerfile
# syntax=docker/dockerfile:1
FROM baseapp
RUN echo "Hello world"
```

```hcl
# docker-bake.hcl
target "base" {
  dockerfile = "baseapp.Dockerfile"
}

target "app" {
  contexts = {
    baseapp = "target:base"
  }
}
```

Please note that in most cases you should just use a single multi-stage
Dockerfile with multiple targets for similar behavior. This case is recommended
when you have multiple Dockerfiles that can't be easily merged into one.