What should I use to automate image optimization in a build pipeline?

For automating image optimization in a build pipeline, the best choice depends on your stack, but these are the most common and reliable options:

Good general-purpose tools

• Sharp (Node.js)
  Fast, modern, and excellent for resizing, compressing, and converting images. Great if your build is Node-based.
• ImageMagick
  Very powerful and widely supported, but heavier and sometimes slower.
• Squoosh CLI
  Great for high-quality compression and modern formats like AVIF/WebP.

If you want simple build integration

• Webpack: image-minimizer-webpack-plugin
• Vite/Rollup: use a plugin or run a preprocessing script with Sharp
• Gulp: gulp-imagemin
• Grunt: grunt-contrib-imagemin
• CI/CD scripts: run a Node script with Sharp or Squoosh CLI

Recommended modern default

If you’re starting fresh and using Node, I’d suggest:

• Sharp for resizing/conversion/compression
• optionally pair it with SVGO for SVG optimization
• and use WebP/AVIF output for modern browsers

Typical pipeline approach

1. Resize to needed dimensions
2. Convert to WebP/AVIF when appropriate
3. Compress JPEG/PNG
4. Strip metadata
5. Cache results so repeated builds are fast

Example tools by use case

• Frontend app build: Sharp + plugin for your bundler
• Static site generation: Sharp or Squoosh CLI in a prebuild step
• CI pipeline: Sharp or ImageMagick in a script
• Large asset pipeline: specialized image processing service or batch job

If you tell me your build system (Webpack, Vite, Next.js, GitHub Actions, etc.), I can recommend the exact setup and config.