Answer
ADD auto-extracts archives and supports remote URLs, causing unpredictable builds. COPY is preferred unless extraction is needed.
Quick Answer
ADD can accept remote URLs and auto-extracts tarballs — which sounds useful but adds implicit behavior and is a security risk (fetching from remote URLs during build). COPY is explicit — it only copies files from the local build context. Prefer COPY; use ADD only when you specifically need tarball extraction.
S
SugharaIQ Editorial Team
Verified Answer
This answer has been peer-reviewed by industry experts holding senior engineering roles to ensure technical accuracy and relevance for modern interview standards.
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Source: SugharaIQ