1.6GB Docker Image, 8-Minute Builds. Add Runners?
Your image is huge and every code change rebuilds from scratch. A teammate wants to just add more CI runners. Defend how you actually fix it.
the decision you defend
Your Node app's Docker image is 1.6GB and every code change rebuilds dependencies from scratch, so CI takes 8 minutes. A teammate says just add more CI runners. How do you fix the image, and why?
the situation
Your team's Node service ships as a Docker image. The image is 1.6GB, and CI takes about 8 minutes per run because every commit reinstalls all dependencies before building.
context
The Dockerfile starts from a full node base image, copies the whole project in one COPY, then runs npm install and the build. There is no .dockerignore. A teammate suggests just adding more CI runners so builds finish faster.
How this challenge works
Take a position on the decision above and defend it. A senior-engineer AI will push back over up to 4 rounds. When you are done, you are scored against a verified rubric so you can see exactly what a complete answer covers - these are learning prompts, not gotchas.