- Images - Refers to the image type, as in Nginx, Python, Go, PHP, Redis, etc.
- Image lines - Refers to the release branch. Minimus image lines match the upstream’s maintained release lines.
- Versions - Refers to the exact version number or release number. Image versions are placed under the appropriate image line (aka, release branch).
About image lines
Minimus maintains release branches that are being actively supported by their upstream projects. Most projects maintain at least 2 image lines, but some maintain many more. For example, Postgres maintains 5 release lines (ref). Some projects use name tags in addition to the version number, for example nginx hasmainline and stable image lines (ref).
Support dates:
- Images that are officially considered LTS (long term support) by the upstream project are marked as such.
- Image lines that have reached end-of-life (EOL) or are near-EOL are shown at the bottom of the list in a separate category.
About image versions
Minimus follows the release schedule of the upstream projects. In other words, every time a new version is released by the upstream project, Minimus builds an image of the new version. The version numbers are identical to the upstream project and are shown in the relevant image line. Learn more about the Minimus new version SLA The image version typically follows semantic versioning conventions in X.Y.Z format (ref). For example, an nginx image is taggedmainline and version 1.29.5 (on March 9, 2026).
Daily image build updates
Thelatest image version may seem static but, in fact, it is continuously being maintained and updated by Minimus to incorporate package updates as they are made available.
The image version tag will remain fixed as long as the main image package stays the same, but “under the hood”, the image version is being rebuilt with updated packages as shown in the Changelog and the Digest History pages. Every new image build will have a new digest and a new unique timestamp tag. See daily builds
Support information
Long term support (LTS) information
Official long term support image lines are indicated in the Minimus console.End of life (EOL) information
Minimus aims to provide accurate and complete information about support timelines and expected end of life dates for image lines. Where the EOL dates are available, you can use them instead of referring to the upstream project. Learn more
You can reference the popular site https://endoflife.date/ to quickly look up information about support schedules for most projects.
Selecting the right image line
If you’re not already committed to a particular image version, you may be asking yourself which image line you should use? Minimus can help you decide based on your requirements:- As a general recommendation, unless you have constraints such as app compatibility issues, you should always use the latest version. This ensures that you are using the most up-to-date version and can benefit from security updates more completely.
- If your testing cycle is relatively longer, you may be forced to use a previous version line. You should still opt for the most recent version within the line to benefit from daily security updates.
- If you have constraints that require you to use an older image version, note that the version will not receive security updates. Minimus images are minimal and hardened from the start and so accumulate vulnerabilities more slowly, thereby staying more secure for a relatively longer period of time.
- Visit the Minimus gallery to view a current vulnerability report for any image version. The report provides an up-to-date status on the vulnerabilities detected in the version. Learn more about image vulnerability reports
Multi-architecture images
Minimus images are built to support multiple CPU architectures (amd64 and arm64) and can run on different hardware platforms without requiring separate images. When you run thedocker pull command to get an image from the Minimus gallery, it will automatically pull the correct architecture for your system.