How can multi-stage builds contribute to Docker image efficiency?

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Multi-stage builds enhance Docker image efficiency primarily by allowing you to copy only specific files from previous stages. This focused approach reduces the final image size by including only the essential artifacts needed for the application to run, resulting in a leaner and more efficient image.

In a typical multi-stage build, different stages are defined in a Dockerfile, where each stage can be based on a different minimal base image tailored for specific tasks, such as building the application or fetching dependencies. The final stage pulls only the necessary output files from previous stages instead of everything, which minimizes unnecessary bloat and optimizes the image for performance and deployment.

This targeted copying helps in keeping the final image light and ensures that no extraneous files or dependencies from earlier builds linger in the final product, contributing to faster load times and better resource utilization when deploying containers.

While other strategies, like discarding intermediate files after the build, are also useful for managing space during the build process, they do not directly affect the content of the final image the same way that selectively copying files does. Similarly, using larger base images for simplicity may actually increase the image size instead of promoting efficiency.

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