Clean Runner for Docker Builds

This action cleans unnecessary packages and files from GitHub runners to optimize disk space for Docker multi-architecture builds.

Features

• Removes large unnecessary packages and tools that are not needed for Docker builds
  • Development tools (compilers, runtimes, build systems)
  • Browser packages and WebDriver tools
  • Database packages (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB)
  • Cloud tools (Azure CLI, Google Cloud SDK, AWS CLI, etc.)
  • Testing and analysis tools
  • Documentation tools
  • Android SDK and NDK
  • Cached tool versions
• Cleans up package manager cache
• Removes large directories
• Reports disk space saved before and after cleanup
• Fully configurable cleanup options

Inputs

Input	Description	Default
remove-development-tools	Remove compilers and runtimes (Java, Go, Rust, Haskell, etc.)	true
remove-browsers	Remove browsers and WebDriver tools (Chrome, Firefox, Edge)	true
remove-databases	Remove database packages (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB)	true
remove-cloud-tools	Remove cloud CLIs and tools	true
remove-testing-tools	Remove testing and analysis tools (newman, packer, yamllint, etc.)	true
remove-documentation	Remove documentation tools (sphinx, texinfo, emoji fonts)	true
remove-android	Remove Android SDK and NDK	true
remove-cached-tools	Remove cached tool versions (Go, Node.js, Python, Ruby)	true
show-top-packages	Show the largest packages before and after cleanup	true

Outputs

Output	Description
space-before	Available disk space before cleaning (in GB)
space-after	Available disk space after cleaning (in GB)
space-saved	Disk space saved by cleaning (in GB)

Usage

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout code
        uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Clean runner for Docker builds
        uses: sctg-development/clean-image-for-docker@v2
        # Optional parameters (all default to true)
        with:
          remove-development-tools: 'true'
          remove-browsers: 'true'
          remove-databases: 'true'
          remove-cloud-tools: 'true'
          remove-testing-tools: 'true'
          remove-documentation: 'true'
          remove-android: 'true'
          remove-cached-tools: 'true'
          show-top-packages: 'true'
          
      - name: Set up QEMU
        uses: docker/setup-qemu-action@v3
        with:
          platforms: "arm64"

      - name: Set up Docker Buildx
        uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3

      - name: Log in to Docker Hub
        uses: docker/login-action@v3
        with:
          username: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_USERNAME }}
          password: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_PASSWORD }}

      - name: Build and push Docker image
        uses: docker/build-push-action@v6
        continue-on-error: true
        with:
          platforms: linux/arm64, linux/amd64
          cache-from: type=gha
          cache-to: type=gha
          push: true
          tags: mydocker/myimage:1.0, mydocker/myimage:latest

Example: Selective Cleanup

If you want to keep some tools (for example, keep Java but remove everything else):

- name: Clean runner for Docker builds (keep Java)
  uses: sctg-development/clean-image-for-docker@v2
  with:
    remove-development-tools: 'false'  # Keeps Java, Go, Rust, etc.
    remove-browsers: 'true'
    remove-databases: 'true'
    remove-cloud-tools: 'true'
    remove-testing-tools: 'true'
    remove-documentation: 'true'
    remove-android: 'true'
    remove-cached-tools: 'true'

Packages Removed by Category

Development Tools (remove-development-tools)

• Compilers: GCC, Clang, LLVM, Gfortran
• Runtimes: Java (OpenJDK, Temurin), Golang, Rust, Haskell, Julia, Kotlin, Swift
• Build systems: Maven, Gradle, Ant, Bazel, CMake, Ninja
• Other: Mono, Ruby (gruby)

Browsers (remove-browsers)

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Microsoft Edge

Databases (remove-databases)

• MySQL
• PostgreSQL
• MongoDB

Cloud Tools (remove-cloud-tools)

• Azure CLI
• Google Cloud SDK
• AWS CLI and SAM CLI
• AzCopy
• Bicep
• Pulumi

Testing Tools (remove-testing-tools)

• Newman
• Packer
• Yamllint
• Shellcheck
• Xvfb

Documentation (remove-documentation)

• Sphinx
• Texinfo
• Emoji fonts
• MediaInfo

Android (remove-android)

• Android SDK
• Android NDK

Cached Tools (remove-cached-tools)

• Cached Go versions
• Cached Node.js versions
• Cached Python versions
• Cached PyPy versions
• Cached Ruby versions

Typical Disk Space Savings

On Ubuntu 24.04, typical disk space savings with default settings:

• Before: ~23-25 GB available
• After: ~35-40+ GB available
• Saved: ~12-17 GB

License

MIT License - See LICENSE.md