Description

This introduces two major changes to the build process:

1. Use of a Debian-based image (instead of Alpine) in the backend where ML related packages are pre-compiled.
2. Use layer caching in frontend, such that npm install is only triggered when package.json or package-lock.json change.

Build performance before the changes

Time: 4:52
RAM: 4,2 GB

Build performance after the changes

Time: 3:49
RAM: 2,9 GB

This seems like a small step but it's not. Just the bottleneck has changed: it is no longer the compilation of the python wheels but the deprecated react-scripts frontend build process. This will be solved in #783 .

Related issues

• Frontend dependency react-scripts is unmaintained #783
• Docker build takes a long time and uses a lot of RAM #796

Type of change

Please delete options that are not relevant.

• Bug fix (non-breaking change which fixes an issue).
• New feature (non-breaking change which adds functionality).
• Breaking change (fix or feature that would cause existing functionality to not work as expected).

Checklist

• I have read and understood the rules about how to Contribute to this project.
• The pull request is for the branch develop.
• I have added documentation of the new features.
• Linter (Ruff) gave 0 errors. If you have correctly installed pre-commit, it does these checks and adjustments on your behalf.
• I have added tests for the feature/bug I solved. All the tests (new and old ones) gave 0 errors.
• If changes were made to an existing model/serializer/view, the docs were updated and regenerated (check CONTRIBUTE.md).
• If the GUI has been modified:
  • I have a provided a screenshot of the result in the PR.
  • I have created new frontend tests for the new component or updated existing ones.

Important Rules

• If you miss to compile the Checklist properly, your PR won't be reviewed by the maintainers.
• If your changes decrease the overall tests coverage (you will know after the Codecov CI job is done), you should add the required tests to fix the problem
• Everytime you make changes to the PR and you think the work is done, you should explicitly ask for a review. After being reviewed and received a "change request", you should explicitly ask for a review again once you have made the requested changes.