Docker Image Optimization: Lessons from Production

Thu, 28 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

At Solytics Partners, I optimized Docker images and achieved a 35% size reduction and 75% faster build times. Here’s what I learned.

The Problem

Most Dockerfiles I inherited looked like this:

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FROM python:3.11
WORKDIR /app
COPY . .
RUN pip install -r requirements.txt
CMD ["python", "app.py"]

This creates images that are:

Docker Image Optimization: The 75% Reduction Story

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

When I joined Solytics Partners as a DevOps Intern, one of my first tasks was optimizing our Docker images. Our Nimbus Console service was running a 3.1GB Docker image, and it was slowing down deployments significantly.

I managed to reduce it by 60-75%, but not without learning some hard lessons about over-optimization.

The Problem

Our production image was massive:

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FROM python:3.10 # Base image alone: ~900MB
RUN apt-get install openjdk-11-jdk # Java: +200MB
RUN playwright install # All browsers: +1GB
RUN Rscript install_r.sh # R environment: +500MB
# ... 100+ Python packages: +500MB

Total: 3.1GB

Optimization on Munish Thakur | DevOps Engineer

Docker Image Optimization: Lessons from Production

The Problem

Docker Image Optimization: The 75% Reduction Story

The Problem