diff --git a/.github/actions/runTestsTaggedAs/action.yaml b/.github/actions/runTestsTaggedAs/action.yaml
index ae7f57f2d61..bff9797814f 100644
--- a/.github/actions/runTestsTaggedAs/action.yaml
+++ b/.github/actions/runTestsTaggedAs/action.yaml
@@ -8,6 +8,10 @@ inputs:
     description: true if this suite needs docker images, false otherwise
     required: false
     default: 'true'
+  needs-api-docker-image:
+    description: true if this suite needs the rest-api docker image, false otherwise
+    required: false
+    default: 'false'
 #outputs:
 runs:
   using: "composite"
@@ -28,7 +32,7 @@ runs:
       with:
         path: ~/.m2/repository
         key: ${{ github.run_id }}-${{ github.run_number }}-maven-cache
-    - name: Cache Maven repository
+    - name: Cache Maven repository #TODO: is this duplicated with the step above??
       uses: actions/cache@v3
       with:
         path: ~/.m2/repository
@@ -37,6 +41,10 @@ runs:
       if: ${{ inputs.needs-docker-images == 'true' }}
       run: mvn clean install -pl ${APP_PROJECTS} && mvn clean install -Pdocker -f assembly/pom.xml -pl '!:kapua-assembly-api' #api container not used in the tests at all se we don't need to build it here
       shell: bash
+    - name: Docker rest-api image creation
+      if: ${{ inputs.needs-api-docker-image == 'true' }}
+      run: mvn clean install -Pdocker -pl :kapua-assembly-api
+      shell: bash
     - name: Dns look-up containers needed for tests - message-broker
       if: ${{ inputs.needs-docker-images == 'true' }}
       run: echo "127.0.0.1       message-broker" | sudo tee -a /etc/hosts
diff --git a/.github/workflows/kapua-ci.yaml b/.github/workflows/kapua-ci.yaml
index d3a4478a0ae..8d55c30a9b4 100755
--- a/.github/workflows/kapua-ci.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/kapua-ci.yaml
@@ -32,22 +32,6 @@ jobs:
       - run: docker images -a  # used as log (should show only github environment standard docker images; if kapua images are present, something is wrong)
       - run: mvn -B ${BUILD_OPTS} -DskipTests clean install -T 1C
       - run: bash <(curl -s https://codecov.io/bash)
-  assembly-api-container:
-    needs: build
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    timeout-minutes: 45
-    steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v3 # Checks out a copy of the repository on the ubuntu-latest machine
-      - uses: actions/setup-java@v3
-        with:
-          distribution: 'zulu'
-          java-version: 11
-      - name: Cache Maven repository #retrieve maven artifacts for the console building
-        uses: actions/cache@v3
-        with:
-          path: ~/.m2/repository
-          key: ${{ github.run_id }}-${{ github.run_number }}-maven-cache
-      - run: mvn clean install -Pdocker -pl :kapua-assembly-java-base,:kapua-assembly-jetty-base,:kapua-assembly-api
   test-brokerAcl:
     needs: build
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
@@ -334,6 +318,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           tag: '@rest_auth'
           needs-docker-images: 'true'
+          needs-api-docker-image: 'true'
   test-api-corsfilter:
     needs: test-endpoint # test suite dependent on the endpoint service (if it has failings it's useless to perform these tests)
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
@@ -345,6 +330,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           tag: '@rest_cors'
           needs-docker-images: 'true'
+          needs-api-docker-image: 'true'
   junit-tests:
     needs: build
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest