January 31, 2026
Zero bugs, max bickering
Show HN: Minimal – Open-Source Community driven Hardened Container Images
Ultra-safe app boxes spark “minimal vs too minimal” brawl
TLDR: Minimal offers open-source, security-hardened app containers with near-zero known bugs and fast fixes. The community is split between hype for safer deployments and hot debates over “true minimalism” versus practical integration and automation—important because fewer holes and faster patches mean fewer headaches for teams.
“Show HN” dropped a new open-source set of ultra-lean, security-first app boxes called Minimal, promising daily rebuilds, near-zero known bugs, and fast fixes using Chainguard’s apko, Wolfi, and Trivy. Think: slimmer containers, fewer doors for hackers, faster compliance wins (SOC 2 audits, government checks), and a signed bill of materials (SBOM) so you know what’s inside. But the crowd showed up with confetti… and pitchforks.
The cheer squad shouted “ship it!”—anukritisingh is all-in, while debarshri adds a reality check: the whole game is response-time SLAs (promised fix windows) and keeping a huge catalog updated. Meanwhile, confused-but-curious folks like adriand and humayuuun want hand-holding: “how do I actually use this?” “Can I automate updates?” Translation for non-nerds: people love the idea of safer boxes, but they want a set-it-and-forget-it button.
Then the spicy minimalists stormed in. Dayshine asked why it doesn’t use “chisel” to strip even more, called the presence of things like ncurses “weird,” and declared that a truly hardened container should run only your app. Cue drama over shell sightings (some images may include a tiny shell through dependencies, which the project labels “informational”). The meme energy: “Zero CVEs, zero patience,” “Is this a security diet or a fast?” The vibe is equal parts “finally!” and “not minimal enough,” and that tension is the entertainment.
Key Points
- •Minimal is an open-source collection of hardened container images rebuilt daily with Chainguard’s apko and Wolfi packages to minimize CVEs.
- •The catalog includes Python, Node.js, Bun, Go, Nginx, HTTPD (Apache), Jenkins, Redis-slim, and PostgreSQL-slim, typically running without a shell and as non-root.
- •Images are cryptographically signed and ship with full SBOMs; CVE patches are targeted within 24–48 hours of disclosure.
- •The project emphasizes reduced attack surface and improved compliance (SOC 2, FedRAMP, PCI-DSS) versus traditional base images like Debian/Ubuntu.
- •The build pipeline sources Wolfi packages, assembles OCI images with apko, and uses Trivy scanning as a CVE gate before release.