The Problem with Fat Images
We've all been there: you pull a Docker image, and it's 1.2GB. You run a simple Node app, and the image is bigger than your entire OS. The culprit? Base images like node:latest or python:3.11 come with a full OS, package managers, compilers, and a ton of stuff you don't need.
But here's the thing: your container doesn't need a shell, a package manager, or even a full OS. It needs your binary and its runtime dependencies. That's it.
In this article, I'll show you practical ways to slim down your Docker images, often by 90% or more, without sacrificing functionality.
Start with a Minimal Base
