buildpacks/lifecycle

Lifecycle is a reference implementation of the Cloud Native Buildpacks specification that orchestrates the build and execution phases for container image creation.

The tool solves the problem of standardizing how applications are transformed into container images by implementing the buildpacks lifecycle specification. It breaks the build process into distinct phases: the analyzer reads metadata from previous images, the detector selects appropriate buildpacks, the restorer retrieves cached layers, the builder executes buildpack logic, and the exporter produces the final image. These phases can be run individually or combined through a single creator command. For runtime, the launcher invokes the chosen process type. The tool also provides a rebaser for updating base layers in existing images without rebuilding.

Adoption suits organizations building container platforms or CI/CD systems that need a standards-compliant buildpacks implementation. The tool is designed for platform builders rather than end users, as it provides the core execution engine that platforms integrate. Teams implementing the Cloud Native Buildpacks specification will find this the authoritative reference implementation to build against.

The project maintains broad API compatibility across multiple platform and buildpack API versions. Development follows a structured contribution process with dedicated documentation for contributors, development workflows, and release procedures.