How to build smaller Docker images

When you’re building a Docker image it’s important to keep the size under control. Having small images means ensuring faster deployment and transfers.

Wish I had found this post before I started playing with Docker, as it is packed with solid advice which I found out “along the way” myself.

In short:

  1. Find the right balance with the cache layers
  2. Use .dockerignore files
  3. Use the multi-stage builds feature
  4. Choose the right base image

Especially number 3 was an eye opener to me when I first discovered it. Basically it boils down to this: Don’t do an npm install/composer install/npm build directly in your “main” image, but do it in a separate container and afterwards copy its results into your main image.

How to build a smaller Docker image →

Published by Bramus!

Bramus is a frontend web developer from Belgium, working as a Chrome Developer Relations Engineer at Google. From the moment he discovered view-source at the age of 14 (way back in 1997), he fell in love with the web and has been tinkering with it ever since (more …)

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