Use case
Docker Image Optimization for Faster Builds and Deployments
- Lakshya Chhajed
About the Customer
SkillForge is a technology-focused company that empowers enterprises with modern cloud-native solutions. Their mission is to streamline application delivery and enhance developer productivity by leveraging DevOps, containerization, and cloud platforms. The organization primarily serves enterprises that need to optimize their software delivery pipelines and accelerate digital transformation.
Customer Challenge
SkillForge encountered major hurdles due to oversized Docker images averaging 700–800MB per service. This inefficiency created multiple pain points: prolonged CI/CD build times, slow Kubernetes deployments, and containers often stuck in a Pending state for up to 10 minutes. Dependency management was also inefficient, as all services were bundled with unnecessary shared libraries. The challenges led to higher infrastructure costs, reduced developer efficiency, and slower customer delivery. Without remediation, SkillForge risked compounding infrastructure costs, application delays, and loss of competitive agility.
Solution
IAMOPS implemented the optimization project unfolded in three phases:
Phase 1: Dockerfile Optimization
- Dockerfiles were refactored to minimize unnecessary layers, and only required files were copied. Multi-stage builds were introduced to further reduce the image size, while service-specific dependencies replaced bundled shared libraries.
Phase 2: CI/CD Enhancements
- Build logic was shifted from Dockerfiles into GitHub Actions workflows. A reusable custom GitHub Action was developed for dependency installs, builds, and caching, streamlining consistency across pipelines. Caching layers were implemented to avoid redundant installs, and AWS and GCP pipelines were fine-tuned using these optimized workflows.
Phase 3: Deployment Optimization
- With leaner images, Kubernetes pods pulled containers faster, reducing startup times from 10 minutes to under 2. This improved scaling efficiency and reduced bandwidth strain on EC2 nodes and ECR during peak deployments.
Results & Benefits
- Image Size Reduction: Shrunk from ~750–960MB → ~70MB per application.
- CI Build Time: Reduced from ~4.5 minutes → ~2.5 minutes (~45% improvement).
- Deployment Speed: Startup time improved from ~10 minutes → ~1–2 minutes.
- Operational Cost Savings: Lower ECR storage and reduced EC2 bandwidth utilization.
- Developer Productivity: Faster builds and leaner workflows enhanced overall efficiency and maintainability.
About IAMOPS
IAMOPS is an AWS Advanced Consulting Partner specializing in DevOps-as-a-Service, cloud migration, and managed services. With proven expertise in Kubernetes, Docker, and CI/CD pipeline optimization, IAMOPS delivers scalable solutions that drive cost efficiency and performance. The company leverages AWS best practices and cloud-native methodologies to help clients modernize infrastructure and accelerate innovation.
