A recent blog post, 10 things to avoid in docker containers, describes ten scenarios you should avoid when dealing with docker containers. However, recommendation #3 – Don’t create large images and the sentence “Don’t install unnecessary packages or run “updates” (yum update) that download files to a new image layer” has generated quite a few questions. Some of you are wondering how a simple “yum update” can create a large image. In an attempt to clarify the point, this post explains how docker images work, some solutions to maintain a small docker image, yet still keep it up to date.
To better illustrate the problem, let’s start with a fresh Fedora 23 (or RHEL) image. (Use `docker pull fedora:23`).
Read more at Red Hat Developers Blog.
