Q&A
Q&AWhy do multi-stage Docker builds matter so much?
They reduce the runtime image to just the files required to execute the service.
Read the concise answer
Multi-stage a build lets you compile in one environment and then copy only the final artifact into a slim runtime image. This reduces image size, shortens deployment time, lessens the attack surface, and makes it easier to reason about what the service actually needs to run. It is a packaging discipline, not just a size optimization.