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What's the advantage of smaller containers? You should optimise for performance and security. For example python's base image is slower, than a container built

What's the advantage of smaller containers? You should optimise for performance and security. For example python's base image is slower, than a container built on ubuntu for python apps. This is shown by several tests. Pythons base image is built on Alpine, which has shown to also have longer build times, and obscure bugs. So a smaller container image is not always better. Instead optimise for performance and security.

rsstack 5y ago
> So a smaller container image is not always better. No one said it is _always_ better. Obviously you can make a smaller but worse image. Making the image smaller, without affecting its performance or security, can reduce costs (storage + network) and can make deployments much faster (and so improve reliability, and Developer Experience).
BjoernKW 5y ago
One example from my recent experience: embedded systems and industrial facilities, which don't necessarily have a reliable or fast internet / network connection. When updating images on multiple devices on a 10 Mbit connection the difference between, say, a 500 MB image and a functionally equivalent 50 MB image can be quite significant.
jiehong 5y ago
Shorter startup time of your Kubrick pods, because less data needs to be downloaded at the very beginning.
Kwpolska 5y ago
> Pythons base image is built on Alpine, which has shown to also have longer build times, and obscure bugs. The Python image on Docker Hub has Debian, Alpine, and Windows Server versions: https://hub.docker.com/_/python https://hub.docker.com/_/python The default (`python:latest` or `python:3.10`) is using Debian bullseye. You need to ask for Alpine by using a specific tag (`python:3.10-alpine`).
Gigachad 5y ago
I have heard of extreme scale cases where you are looking at terabytes of docker image transfers to deploy to all machines and it happens every single time a new build goes out which is multiple times a day.

rsstack 5y ago

> So a smaller container image is not always better. No one said it is _always_ better. Obviously you can make a smaller but worse image. Making the image smaller, without affecting its performance or security, can reduce costs (storage + network) and can make deployments much faster (and so improve reliability, and Developer Experience).

BjoernKW 5y ago

One example from my recent experience: embedded systems and industrial facilities, which don't necessarily have a reliable or fast internet / network connection. When updating images on multiple devices on a 10 Mbit connection the difference between, say, a 500 MB image and a functionally equivalent 50 MB image can be quite significant.

jiehong 5y ago

Shorter startup time of your Kubrick pods, because less data needs to be downloaded at the very beginning.

Kwpolska 5y ago

> Pythons base image is built on Alpine, which has shown to also have longer build times, and obscure bugs. The Python image on Docker Hub has Debian, Alpine, and Windows Server versions: https://hub.docker.com/_/python https://hub.docker.com/_/python The default (`python:latest` or `python:3.10`) is using Debian bullseye. You need to ask for Alpine by using a specific tag (`python:3.10-alpine`).

Gigachad 5y ago

I have heard of extreme scale cases where you are looking at terabytes of docker image transfers to deploy to all machines and it happens every single time a new build goes out which is multiple times a day.