> unless you've done something very clever like 1 package per layer I struggle to think that 50 is really useful?
1 package per layer can actually be quite nice, since it means that any package updates will only affect that layer, meaning that downloading container updates will use much less network bandwidth. This is nice for things like bootc [0] that are deployed on the "edge", but less useful for things deployed in a well-connected server farm.
> If you change the package defined in the bottom most layer, all 49 above it are invalid and need re-pulled or re-built.
I also initially thought that that was the case, but some tools are able to work around that [0] [1] [2]. I have no idea how it works, but it works pretty well in my experience.
Layering in the container spec is achieved by overlaying each layer's filesystem (a tarball, I think) over each layer below it. If file "a" is modified in layers 3 and 5, the resulting container will have data for both versions but reading "a" in the container will return version 5.
Docker exploits this to figure out when it can cache a layer, but building a container is different than running one because changing the underlying file system can change what a command outputs. If you're running a container, changing one deeply buried layer doesn't change the layers above it because they're already saved.
Yes, my intended meaning was that if you're doing that or something similar then I totally get having lots of layers because it's useful. Mostly I've only seen it come up with nix, but I can see how bootc would have a similar deal. That said, most container images I've ever seen aren't doing anything that clever and probably should be like... 2-3 layers? (One base layer, one with all your dependencies shoved in, and maybe one on top for the actual application.)
1 package per layer can actually be quite nice, since it means that any package updates will only affect that layer, meaning that downloading container updates will use much less network bandwidth. This is nice for things like bootc [0] that are deployed on the "edge", but less useful for things deployed in a well-connected server farm.
[0]: https://bootc-dev.github.io/bootc/