diff --git a/.changeset/honest-kids-live.md b/.changeset/honest-kids-live.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e829d00d91
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/honest-kids-live.md
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+'@backstage/create-app': patch
+---
+
+Optimized the command order in `packages/backend/Dockerfile` as well as added the `--no-install-recommends` to the `apt-get install` and tweaked the installed packages.
+
+To apply this change to an existing app, update your `packages/backend/Dockerfile` to match the documented `Dockerfile` at https://backstage.io/docs/deployment/docker#host-build.
diff --git a/docs/deployment/docker.md b/docs/deployment/docker.md
index 0b99e81d64..01bc6279f2 100644
--- a/docs/deployment/docker.md
+++ b/docs/deployment/docker.md
@@ -59,18 +59,19 @@ Once the host build is complete, we are ready to build our image. The following
 FROM node:16-bullseye-slim
 
 WORKDIR /app
+
+# install sqlite3 dependencies, you can skip this if you don't use sqlite3 in the image
+RUN apt-get update && \
+    apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends libsqlite3-dev python3 build-essential && \
+    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* && \
+    yarn config set python /usr/bin/python3
+
 # Copy repo skeleton first, to avoid unnecessary docker cache invalidation.
 # The skeleton contains the package.json of each package in the monorepo,
 # and along with yarn.lock and the root package.json, that's enough to run yarn install.
 COPY yarn.lock package.json packages/backend/dist/skeleton.tar.gz ./
 RUN tar xzf skeleton.tar.gz && rm skeleton.tar.gz
 
-# install sqlite3 dependencies
-RUN apt-get update && \
-    apt-get install -y libsqlite3-dev python3 cmake g++ && \
-    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* && \
-    yarn config set python /usr/bin/python3
-
 RUN yarn install --frozen-lockfile --production --network-timeout 300000 && rm -rf "$(yarn cache dir)"
 
 # Then copy the rest of the backend bundle, along with any other files we might want.
@@ -159,7 +160,8 @@ WORKDIR /app
 COPY --from=packages /app .
 
 # install sqlite3 dependencies
-RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y libsqlite3-dev python3 cmake g++ && \
+RUN apt-get update && \
+    apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends libsqlite3-dev python3 build-essential && \
     yarn config set python /usr/bin/python3
 
 RUN yarn install --frozen-lockfile --network-timeout 600000 && rm -rf "$(yarn cache dir)"
@@ -176,16 +178,16 @@ FROM node:16-bullseye-slim
 
 WORKDIR /app
 
+# install sqlite3 dependencies, you can skip this if you don't use sqlite3 in the image
+RUN apt-get update && \
+    apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends libsqlite3-dev python3 build-essential && \
+    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* && \
+    yarn config set python /usr/bin/python3
+
 # Copy the install dependencies from the build stage and context
 COPY --from=build /app/yarn.lock /app/package.json /app/packages/backend/dist/skeleton.tar.gz ./
 RUN tar xzf skeleton.tar.gz && rm skeleton.tar.gz
 
-# install sqlite3 dependencies
-RUN apt-get update && \
-    apt-get install -y libsqlite3-dev python3 cmake g++ && \
-    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* && \
-    yarn config set python /usr/bin/python3
-
 RUN yarn install --frozen-lockfile --production --network-timeout 600000 && rm -rf "$(yarn cache dir)"
 
 # Copy the built packages from the build stage
diff --git a/packages/backend/Dockerfile b/packages/backend/Dockerfile
index dd35d4ddbc..86f6e17861 100644
--- a/packages/backend/Dockerfile
+++ b/packages/backend/Dockerfile
@@ -13,18 +13,18 @@ FROM node:16-bullseye-slim
 
 WORKDIR /app
 
+# install sqlite3 dependencies, you can skip this if you don't use sqlite3 in the image
+RUN apt-get update && \
+    apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends libsqlite3-dev python3 build-essential && \
+    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* && \
+    yarn config set python /usr/bin/python3
+
 # Copy repo skeleton first, to avoid unnecessary docker cache invalidation.
 # The skeleton contains the package.json of each package in the monorepo,
 # and along with yarn.lock and the root package.json, that's enough to run yarn install.
 COPY yarn.lock package.json packages/backend/dist/skeleton.tar.gz ./
 RUN tar xzf skeleton.tar.gz && rm skeleton.tar.gz
 
-# install sqlite3 dependencies
-RUN apt-get update && \
-    apt-get install -y libsqlite3-dev python3 cmake g++ && \
-    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* && \
-    yarn config set python /usr/bin/python3
-
 RUN yarn install --frozen-lockfile --production --network-timeout 300000 && rm -rf "$(yarn cache dir)"
 
 # Then copy the rest of the backend bundle, along with any other files we might want.
diff --git a/packages/create-app/templates/default-app/packages/backend/Dockerfile b/packages/create-app/templates/default-app/packages/backend/Dockerfile
index dd35d4ddbc..86f6e17861 100644
--- a/packages/create-app/templates/default-app/packages/backend/Dockerfile
+++ b/packages/create-app/templates/default-app/packages/backend/Dockerfile
@@ -13,18 +13,18 @@ FROM node:16-bullseye-slim
 
 WORKDIR /app
 
+# install sqlite3 dependencies, you can skip this if you don't use sqlite3 in the image
+RUN apt-get update && \
+    apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends libsqlite3-dev python3 build-essential && \
+    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* && \
+    yarn config set python /usr/bin/python3
+
 # Copy repo skeleton first, to avoid unnecessary docker cache invalidation.
 # The skeleton contains the package.json of each package in the monorepo,
 # and along with yarn.lock and the root package.json, that's enough to run yarn install.
 COPY yarn.lock package.json packages/backend/dist/skeleton.tar.gz ./
 RUN tar xzf skeleton.tar.gz && rm skeleton.tar.gz
 
-# install sqlite3 dependencies
-RUN apt-get update && \
-    apt-get install -y libsqlite3-dev python3 cmake g++ && \
-    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* && \
-    yarn config set python /usr/bin/python3
-
 RUN yarn install --frozen-lockfile --production --network-timeout 300000 && rm -rf "$(yarn cache dir)"
 
 # Then copy the rest of the backend bundle, along with any other files we might want.