Traditional container images are often large because they include many components such as operating system packages, system dependencies, runtime libraries, application binaries, package managers, and shells. These additional components increase the image size and expand the attack surface, potentially introducing security vulnerabilities.
As image size increases, one of the primary benefits of containers—being lightweight and portable—is diminished. Larger images require more storage space, take longer to transfer across networks, and can increase deployment times.
Distroless images address this problem by including only the components required to run the application, such as runtime libraries and application dependencies. They typically exclude unnecessary tools such as shells, package managers, and debugging utilities. By reducing the number of installed components, distroless images are smaller, have a reduced attack surface, and provide a more secure and efficient runtime environment.
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