Imgbot - Automated Image Optimization

Automatically optimize images in your GitHub repositories to reduce file sizes and improve website performance with lossless compression.

Quick Overview

What is Imgbot?

Imgbot is a GitHub App that automatically optimizes images in your repositories by creating pull requests with compressed versions, helping reduce file sizes without losing quality.

Key Features

• Automatic Optimization - Scans repositories for unoptimized images
• Lossless Compression - Maintains image quality while reducing size
• Multiple Formats - Supports PNG, JPEG, GIF, SVG, and WebP
• Pull Request Integration - Creates PRs with optimized images
• Configurable Settings - Customize compression levels and schedules
• Performance Reports - Shows savings achieved

Student Benefits

With the GitHub Student Developer Pack:

• Free Pro features for the duration of student status
• Private repository optimization support
• Priority processing for optimization jobs
• Advanced configuration options
• Detailed analytics and reporting
• Custom compression settings

How to Redeem

Prerequisites

• Active GitHub Student Developer Pack
• GitHub repositories with images to optimize

Step-by-Step Process

1. Access the Offer

   • Visit your GitHub Student Pack dashboard
   • Find the Imgbot offer section
   • Click to activate Pro features

2. Install Imgbot

   • Visit the GitHub Marketplace
   • Install Imgbot on your repositories
   • Grant necessary permissions

3. Configure Optimization

   • Set up optimization preferences
   • Choose which repositories to monitor
   • Enable automatic or manual optimization

Best Uses for Students

Web Development Projects

• Portfolio websites - Optimize images for faster loading
• Course assignments - Reduce repository size for submissions
• Static site generators - Improve Jekyll/Hugo site performance
• React/Vue projects - Optimize assets for production builds

Academic Work

• Documentation - Compress screenshots and diagrams
• Research projects - Optimize data visualization images
• Presentation materials - Reduce file sizes for sharing
• Mobile app assets - Optimize icons and graphics

Getting Started

Installation Process

1. GitHub Marketplace

   1. Visit github.com/marketplace/imgbot
   2. Click "Set up a plan"
   3. Choose repositories to install on
   4. Grant required permissions
   

2. Repository Configuration

   # .imgbotconfig (optional)
   schedule: "daily"
   ignoredFiles:
     - "*.svg"
     - "docs/screenshots/*"
   compressWiki: true
   minKBReduced: 10
   

First Optimization

1. Imgbot scans your repository
2. Identifies unoptimized images
3. Creates optimization pull request
4. Review and merge the changes

Configuration Options

Basic Configuration

# .imgbotconfig
{
  "schedule": "weekly",
  "ignoredFiles": [
    "*.ico",
    "*.gif"
  ],
  "aggressiveCompression": false,
  "compressWiki": true,
  "minKBReduced": 5
}

Advanced Settings

• Schedule Options - daily, weekly, monthly, or manual
• File Exclusions - Ignore specific files or directories
• Compression Levels - Conservative vs aggressive optimization
• Wiki Compression - Include GitHub wiki images
• Minimum Savings - Only create PRs above threshold

Supported Image Formats

Optimization Capabilities

• PNG - Lossless compression using pngquant
• JPEG - Quality optimization with mozjpeg
• GIF - Frame and color optimization
• SVG - XML optimization and cleanup
• WebP - Modern format conversion and optimization

Format-Specific Benefits

PNG:
- Average 20-40% size reduction
- Maintains transparency
- Perfect for screenshots and graphics

JPEG:
- Average 10-30% size reduction
- Preserves photo quality
- Ideal for photographs

SVG:
- XML cleanup and minification
- Remove unused elements
- Optimize path data

Performance Impact

Website Performance

• Faster loading times - Reduced image file sizes
• Better user experience - Quicker page loads
• SEO benefits - Page speed is a ranking factor
• Mobile optimization - Especially important on slow connections

Repository Benefits

• Smaller clones - Faster git operations
• Reduced bandwidth - Less data transfer
• Storage savings - More efficient repository storage
• CI/CD optimization - Faster build and deployment times

Integration with Development Workflow

GitHub Actions Integration

name: Image Optimization Check
on: [pull_request]

jobs:
  imgbot-check:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v2
      - name: Check for image optimization
        run: |
          echo "Checking if images are optimized..."
          # Custom script to verify optimization

Automated Workflows

• Pre-commit hooks - Optimize images before commits
• CI/CD pipeline - Include optimization in build process
• Deployment optimization - Ensure production images are compressed
• Quality gates - Block PRs with unoptimized images

Student Project Examples

Portfolio Website

Before: portfolio-screenshot.png (2.4 MB)
After:  portfolio-screenshot.png (1.1 MB)
Savings: 54% reduction, faster loading

Course Assignment

Project Structure:
├── src/
│   ├── assets/
│   │   ├── logo.png (optimized)
│   │   └── hero-image.jpg (optimized)
│   └── components/
└── docs/
    ├── architecture-diagram.png (optimized)
    └── user-flow.png (optimized)

Mobile App Development

Android Assets:
├── res/
│   ├── drawable-hdpi/ (optimized)
│   ├── drawable-mdpi/ (optimized)
│   └── drawable-xhdpi/ (optimized)

iOS Assets:
├── Assets.xcassets/
│   ├── AppIcon.appiconset/ (optimized)
│   └── LaunchImage.launchimage/ (optimized)

Monitoring and Analytics

Optimization Reports

• Total savings achieved across all repositories
• Individual file optimization statistics
• Historical trends of optimization over time
• Repository comparison of optimization levels

Pull Request Details

Imgbot Pull Request Example:
- Files optimized: 12
- Total savings: 847 KB (34% reduction)
- Largest saving: hero-image.jpg (245 KB → 156 KB)
- Processing time: 2.3 seconds

Advanced Use Cases

Batch Optimization

• Legacy projects - Optimize years of accumulated images
• Migration projects - Prepare images for new platforms
• Archive optimization - Reduce storage costs for old projects
• Team onboarding - Establish optimization standards

Custom Workflows

# Manual optimization script
#!/bin/bash
echo "Triggering manual Imgbot optimization..."
curl -X POST \
  -H "Authorization: token $GITHUB_TOKEN" \
  -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
  "https://api.github.com/repos/$OWNER/$REPO/dispatches" \
  -d '{"event_type": "imgbot-optimize"}'

Learning Benefits

Web Performance

• Understand image optimization importance for web performance
• Learn compression techniques and their trade-offs
• Experience automated tooling used in professional development
• Gain DevOps knowledge about asset optimization

Best Practices

• File format selection - When to use PNG vs JPEG vs WebP
• Optimization strategies - Balancing quality and file size
• Automation benefits - Consistency and efficiency gains
• Team collaboration - Code review process for assets

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

• Permission errors - Ensure Imgbot has repository access
• Configuration problems - Validate .imgbotconfig syntax
• Large file handling - Some very large files may timeout
• Format compatibility - Not all image variants are supported

Optimization Tips

# Optimize configuration for student projects
{
  "schedule": "weekly",
  "ignoredFiles": [
    "node_modules/**",
    "*.ico",
    "tests/**/*.png"
  ],
  "aggressiveCompression": false,
  "minKBReduced": 1
}

Support and Help

Getting Assistance

• Imgbot Support - GitHub issues and email support
• Documentation - Comprehensive configuration guides
• Community - GitHub discussions and Stack Overflow
• GitHub Education Support - For Student Pack issues

Learning Resources

• Image optimization guides - Best practices and techniques
• Web performance - How images affect site speed
• Automated tooling - Benefits of CI/CD for asset management
• File format comparisons - Understanding different image types

This tool helps students learn professional asset optimization practices while automatically improving the performance of their web projects and reducing repository sizes.