From a 1.1 GB image to 96 MB: multi-stage Docker builds, slim bases and measuring layers
A Node.js API image had grown to 1.1 GB, slowing every deploy and autoscaling event. Step by step, we measured where the size came from, moved to a multi-stage build, chose a base image deliberately and cleaned the build context, ending at 96 MB, with the trade-offs of each step.