When it comes to containerization, performance and efficiency are essential. The top container platform, Docker, provides a range of base images suited to diverse requirements. Two common possibilities are “Standard Docker” and “Docker Alpine.” In this blog, we explore the differences between these two choices and provide an essential response to the following query: Which is the most lightweight option?
The Ubuntu Docker image available on Docker Hub usually contains a minimal Ubuntu installation along with the Docker Engine and utilities required to run containers. This image serves as a base image for building other Docker images.
While Docker Alpine images are smaller than regular Docker images. It is because Alpine Linux is a lightweight Linux distribution that prioritizes simplicity, security, and economical use of resources. Alpine images are usually smaller because they do not contain unnecessary libraries or packages.
In short:
• Standard Docker Image: These images come with many pre-installed packages and dependencies and are usually based on a complete Linux distribution such as Ubuntu or Debian. Compared to other image types, they are typically greater in size.
• Alpine Linux Docker Image: Alpine Linux is a small, safe, and lightweight Linux distribution. Because Alpine-based Docker images only contain the absolute minimum required to run the application, they are usually substantially smaller than normal images.
Let’s find out which is lighter!
Just follow the steps:
1. Pull a basic Ubuntu Image
docker pull ubuntu Output must be successful
Note: I already have the pulled sample Ubuntu Image which is why the status is up to date or in its latest version.
2. Pull a basic Alpine image
docker pull alpineOutput must be successful
Note: I already have the pulled sample Ubuntu Image which is why the status is up to date or in its latest version.
3. Check the sizes of the pulled images:
$ docker images alpine
$ docker images ubuntuOutput must be like this:
As you can see from pulling a sample image of both frameworks, Alpine is much lighter than Standard Docker. Depending on the contents of each image, the precise size difference between a conventional Docker image and an Alpine image can vary, however, Alpine images can often be much smaller—by several hundred megabytes or more. A conventional Debian or Ubuntu-based image could be several hundred megabytes in size, whereas a basic Alpine-based image might be about 5–10 MB in size.