Optimized Magento CI Testing Docker Images
Portfolio project: ultra-compact pre-installed Magento Docker images (50MB–190MB) designed to eliminate CI setup time and dramatically reduce pipeline cost.
A portfolio project focused on extreme Docker image optimization for Magento CI pipelines. This repository provides the smallest publicly available pre-installed Magento testing images, reducing setup time to zero and significantly lowering CI/CD execution costs across multiple Magento and PHP versions.
This project treats CI infrastructure as a performance-critical system, not just a delivery mechanism.
Project Challenge
Magento CI pipelines are notoriously slow and resource-heavy. Typical workflows spend minutes installing dependencies and configuring environments before any tests execute, resulting in:
- 1GB+ Docker images pulled on every pipeline run
- 5–10 minute setup times before tests even start
- High CI/CD minute consumption and storage costs
- Slower feedback loops for developers
For teams running multiple pipelines per day, this inefficiency compounds rapidly.
Developers were waiting longer for environments than for test execution itself.
Approach & Solution
The goal was to eliminate CI setup overhead entirely by shipping pre-installed, role-specific Magento Docker images that start executing tests immediately.
Image Strategy
Instead of a single monolithic image, the project provides purpose-built images optimized for each test layer.
Performance & Cost Impact
Magento CI pipelines were transformed from slow, expensive bottlenecks into fast, predictable feedback systems.
Key outcomes:
- 90%+ reduction in image size
- Zero environment bootstrapping
- Significantly faster developer feedback
- Lower CI/CD compute and storage costs
- Improved scalability for matrix testing
Technical Optimization Highlights
- Aggressive multi-stage Docker builds
- Minimal base images with stripped non-essential components
- Pre-installed and pre-compiled dependencies
- Optimized Docker layer ordering for maximum cache reuse
- Environment parity with production-grade testing requirements
- Separate images per test layer to avoid unnecessary bloat
This project demonstrates how thoughtful container design and systems-level optimization can turn CI infrastructure into a competitive advantage rather than a cost center.