diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 2e5c3d0ab3..b4e1a9d016 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ COPY lib lib
 COPY src src
 COPY include include
 
-ARG NAT_BUILD_MODE=debug
+ARG NAT_BUILD_MODE=release
 RUN rake build_${NAT_BUILD_MODE}
 
 COPY spec spec
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index e903129a18..da1fb4fa7a 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -73,9 +73,6 @@ rake
 - If you get an error about missing `bundler`, then your operating system probably didn't
   install it alongside Ruby. You can run `gem install bundler` to get it.
 
-**NOTE:** Currently, the default build is the "debug" build, since Nataile is in active development.
-But you can build in release mode with `rake build_release`.
-
 ## Usage
 
 **REPL:**
diff --git a/Rakefile b/Rakefile
index 29f90c09a5..15a9c8b492 100644
--- a/Rakefile
+++ b/Rakefile
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ require_relative './lib/natalie/compiler/flags'
 
 task default: :build
 
-DEFAULT_BUILD_TYPE = 'debug'.freeze
+DEFAULT_BUILD_TYPE = 'release'.freeze
 DL_EXT = RbConfig::CONFIG['DLEXT']
 SO_EXT = RbConfig::CONFIG['SOEXT']
 SRC_DIRECTORIES = Dir.new('src').children.select { |p| File.directory?(File.join('src', p)) }
@@ -13,7 +13,12 @@ task :build do
   Rake::Task["build_#{type}"].invoke
 end
 
-desc 'Build Natalie with no optimization and all warnings (default)'
+desc 'Build Natalie with release optimizations enabled and warnings off (default)'
+task build_release: %i[set_build_release libnatalie prism_c_ext] do
+  puts 'Build mode: release'
+end
+
+desc 'Build Natalie with no optimization and all warnings'
 task build_debug: %i[set_build_debug libnatalie prism_c_ext ctags] do
   puts 'Build mode: debug'
 end
@@ -23,11 +28,6 @@ task build_asan: %i[set_build_asan libnatalie prism_c_ext] do
   puts 'Build mode: asan'
 end
 
-desc 'Build Natalie with release optimizations enabled and warnings off'
-task build_release: %i[set_build_release libnatalie prism_c_ext] do
-  puts 'Build mode: release'
-end
-
 desc 'Remove temporary files created during build'
 task :clean do
   SRC_DIRECTORIES.each do |subdir|
@@ -300,17 +300,6 @@ task :docker_build_clang do
      '.'
 end
 
-task :docker_build_clang_release do
-  sh "docker build -t natalie_clang_#{ruby_version_string}_release " \
-     "--build-arg IMAGE='ruby:#{ruby_version_number}' " \
-     '--build-arg NAT_CXX_FLAGS=-DNAT_GC_GUARD ' \
-     '--build-arg CC=clang ' \
-     '--build-arg CXX=clang++ ' \
-     '--build-arg NAT_CXX_FLAGS=-DNAT_GC_GUARD ' \
-     '--build-arg NAT_BUILD_MODE=release ' \
-     '.'
-end
-
 task docker_bash: :docker_build_clang do
   sh "docker run -it --rm --entrypoint bash natalie_clang_#{ruby_version_string}"
 end
@@ -391,7 +380,7 @@ task docker_test_all_ruby_spec_nightly: :docker_build_clang do
      "natalie_clang_#{ruby_version_string} test_all_ruby_spec_nightly"
 end
 
-task docker_test_perf: :docker_build_clang_release do
+task docker_test_perf: :docker_build_clang do
   sh "docker run #{docker_run_flags} " \
      "-e STATS_API_SECRET=#{(ENV['STATS_API_SECRET'] || '').inspect} " \
      "-e GIT_SHA=#{(ENV['LAST_COMMIT_SHA'] || '').inspect} " \