Image Compression Service (Node.js)

Image Compression Service is a Dockerized Node.js and Express web application that allows users to upload images and compress them using different formats (JPEG, PNG, WEBP) and quality levels.

The application provides a simple and intuitive web interface while exposing a backend API, making it easy for any developer to build, run, and test the service locally using Docker.

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Production URL

• http://23.29.114.51:3000/

Tech Stack

• Node.js
• Express.js
• Multer (file uploads)
• Sharp (image compression)
• Docker & Docker Compose
• HTML, CSS, JavaScript (served statically)

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Project Overview

This project demonstrates:

• Building a real-world backend service using Node.js and Express
• Handling file uploads securely
• Performing efficient image compression using Sharp
• Containerizing applications using Docker
• Providing clear documentation so any developer can run the project in minutes

The frontend is intentionally lightweight and served directly by the backend server to keep the architecture simple and focused.

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Prerequisites

Before running the project, ensure you have:

• Docker (version 20 or higher)
• Docker Compose (v2 recommended)

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How to Build and Run Using Docker

Option A: Run Using Docker Compose (Recommended)

This is the recommended and easiest way to run the project.

docker compose up --build

Bonus: Multi-stage Docker Build (Image Size Optimization)

This project uses a multi-stage Docker build to optimize the final Docker image size and improve runtime efficiency.

The Dockerfile is structured into multiple stages:

• A dependencies stage that installs only the required production dependencies.
• A final runtime stage that copies only the necessary application files and dependencies.

By separating the build process from the runtime environment, this approach results in:

• A smaller and cleaner Docker image
• Faster container startup time
• Reduced attack surface in the final image

Build and Run the Multi-stage Image

Build the optimized image:

docker build -t image-compress-service-nodejs:multistage .
docker run --name imgzip -p 3000:3000 image-compress-service-nodejs:multistage

Deploy to VPS (Production)

1) Install Git + Docker

git --version || sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y git


docker --version || (curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sudo sh)
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker
docker compose version

2) Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/realsamer/image-compression-service.git
cd image-compression-service

3) Build and run using Docker Compose

docker compose up -d --build
docker ps

Bonus: Health Check Endpoint and Docker Healthcheck

This project includes a health check endpoint and a Docker healthcheck configuration to monitor the application’s runtime status.

A lightweight /health endpoint is implemented in the backend server to confirm that the application is running and responsive. Docker periodically calls this endpoint to verify the container’s health.

By adding a healthcheck, this approach provides:

• Automatic container health monitoring
• Clear indication when the service is unavailable
• Improved reliability and observability in containerized environments

Health Check Verification

The health endpoint can be accessed here

A successful response returns:

{ "status": "ok" }

Instructor Acknowledgement

This project was developed as part of the Operating Systems Laboratory coursework.

I would like to sincerely thank Yosef Al Sabbah GitHub: https://github.com/Yosef-AlSabbah

for his guidance, constructive feedback, and academic supervision throughout this assignment. His suggestions directly contributed to improving the project structure, Docker configuration, and documentation quality.