TLDR

• Install MinToolkit (aka DockerSlim): https://github.com/mintoolkit/mint#installation
• Shrink your container image: mint slim your-container-image

Note: you may need additional CLI flags. See the examples in this repo and the README in the app repo: https://github.com/mintoolkit/mint

Overview

mintoolkit (aka docker-slim and slimtoolkit) has been used with Node.js, Python, Ruby, Java, Go, Rust, Elixir and PHP (some app types) running on Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS and Alpine Linux.

Active areas of interest:

• Complex Python, Ruby and PHP examples with the popular application servers and Nginx or Apache.
• Python, Node.js, Ruby and PHP applications packaged in CentOS-based images.
• Examples with fat container images with multiple components/applications/services.
• Examples with the most popular process supervisors / init tools.

Current Minification Examples

Node.js application images:

• from ubuntu:14.04 - 432MB => 14MB (minified by 30.85X)
• from debian:jessie - 406MB => 25.1MB (minified by 16.21X)
• from node:alpine - 66.7MB => 34.7MB (minified by 1.92X)
• from node:distroless - 72.7MB => 39.7MB (minified by 1.83X)

Python application images:

• from ubuntu:14.04 - 438MB => 16.8MB (minified by 25.99X)
• from python:2.7-alpine - 84.3MB => 23.1MB (minified by 3.65X)
• from python:2.7.15 - 916MB => 27.5MB (minified by 33.29X)
• from centos:7 - 647MB => 23MB (minified by 28.57X)
• from centos/python-27-centos7 - 700MB => 24MB (minified by 29.01X)
• from python2.7:distroless - 60.7MB => 18.3MB (minified by 3.32X)

Ruby application images:

• from ubuntu:14.04 - 433MB => 13.8MB (minified by 31.31X)
• from ruby:2.2-alpine - 319MB => 27MB (minified by 11.88X)
• from ruby:2.5.3 - 978MB => 30MB (minified by 32.74X)

Go application images:

• from golang:latest - 700MB => 1.56MB (minified by 448.76X)
• from ubuntu:14.04 - 531MB => 1.87MB (minified by 284.10X)
• from golang:alpine - 258MB => 1.56MB (minified by 165.61X)
• from centos:7 - 615MB => 1.87MB (minified by 329.14X)

Rust application images:

• from rust:1.31 - 2GB => 14MB (minified by 147.16X)

Java application images:

• from ubuntu:14.04 - 743.6 MB => 100.3 MB

PHP application images:

• from php:7.0-cli - 368MB => 26.6MB (minified by 13.85X)

Haskell application images:

• (Scotty service) from haskell:8 - 2.09GB => 16.6MB (minified by 125.32X)
• (Scotty service) from haskell:7 - 1.5GB => 21MB (minified by 71X)

Elixir application images:

• (Phoenix service) from elixir:1.6 - 1.1GB => 37MB (minified by 29.25X)

.NET application images:

• from mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/runtime-deps:5.0-alpine-amd64 - 31MB => 28MB (minified by 1.11X)
• from mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/runtime-deps:5.0-buster-slim-amd64 - 132MB => 32MB (minified by 4.11X)
• from mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/runtime-deps:5.0-focal-amd64 - 140MB => 32MB (minified by 4.31X)

How to use examples

While Mint is capable of more, at the moment, the majority of the examples illustrate the image minification procedure using mint build (aka mint slim) command in its various modes.

A typical example has a README file describing its purpose and basic usage. Normally, there is also a Makefile with the default target. So, running make or make default from inside of the example folder would execute the example for you end-to-end outputting all the used commands on the way.

Most frequently used make targets:

# All example types
make                             # run example (semi-automatic)
make test-e2e                    # run the acceptance test suite
make clean                       # remove all artifacts created by this example


# 'CLI application' example type
make fat-build                   # build the "fat" version of the image
make fat-run-interactive         # run the CLI app using the "fat" image

make slim-build                  # turn the "fat" image into a "slim" one
make slim-run-interactive        # run the CLI app using the "slim" image

make slim-build-from-dockerfile  # build the "slim" version of the image using the "fat" Dockerfile


# 'Web Service' example type
make fat-build                   # build the "fat" version of the image
make fat-run                     # run the web service using the "fat" image
make fat-run-seccomp             # run the "fat" image using generated seccomp profile
make fat-validate                # send a request to the running web service
make fat-stop                    # stop the running web service

make slim-build                  # turn the "fat" image into a "slim" one
make slim-run                    # run the web service using the "slim" image
make slim-run-seccomp            # run the "slim" image using generated seccomp profile
make slim-validate               # send a request to the running web service
make slim-stop                   # stop the running web service

make slim-build-from-dockerfile  # build the "slim" version of the image using the "fat" Dockerfile

make debug-sidecar               # run a debug sidecar container with an interactive shell


# 'Docker Compose' example type
make fat-build                   # build the "fat" version of the image
make fat-run                     # run the compose file using the "fat" image
make fat-validate                # send a request to the running web service
make fat-stop                    # stop the running web service

make slim-build-compose          # turn the "fat" image into a "slim" one using docker-compose file
make slim-run                    # run the compose file using the "slim" image
make slim-validate               # send a request to the running web service
make slim-stop                   # stop the running web service