layerx – terminal-based Docker image layer inspector

layerx is a terminal-based Docker image layer inspector that helps developers understand what’s inside container images.

It shows which layer added each file, highlights wasted bytes, and makes it easier to review the filesystem impact of Dockerfile changes before they reach production. The tool can inspect image references via Docker or Podman, read saved image archives without a daemon, compare builds, and export analysis data for scripts and CI pipelines.

This is free and open source software.

Key Features

• Interactive terminal interface for exploring image layers, file trees, diffs, and file contents.
• Shows the Dockerfile command, size, digest, efficiency score, and wasted bytes for image layers.
• Supports Docker image references as well as local docker-save and OCI archive files.
• Provides CI checks for image efficiency, wasted bytes, and user-wasted percentage thresholds.
• Includes image comparison and JSON export for automation, dashboards, and scripted analysis.

Website: github.com/deveshctl/layerx
Support:
Developer: Devesh Pharswan
License: MIT License

layerx is written in Go. Learn Go with our recommended free books and free tutorials.

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