Microlink cuts Kubernetes cold image pulls using zstd

The authors explain how they reduced their Kubernetes image pull time from 111 seconds to 25 seconds for cold nodes. They achieved this by switching to zstd image compression using buildx, streamlining their base image and eliminating duplicate layers by consolidating build steps, and removing unnecessary files from node_modules. Additionally, they adjusted autoscaler settings and added a secondary node pool to mitigate capacity shortages. Open article →