diff --git a/.golangci.yml b/.golangci.yml
index c35094d46116..0382330dd444 100644
--- a/.golangci.yml
+++ b/.golangci.yml
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ linters:
     - unused
     - wastedassign
     - whitespace
+    - prealloc
 
 run:
   timeout: 15m
diff --git a/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/commands/apply/command.go b/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/commands/apply/command.go
index 4a7b8578a7f3..2c51a4f385a7 100644
--- a/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/commands/apply/command.go
+++ b/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/commands/apply/command.go
@@ -264,7 +264,7 @@ func (c *ApplyCommandConfig) applyPolicytoResource(
 	}
 	var rc processor.ResultCounts
 	// validate policies
-	var validPolicies []kyvernov1.PolicyInterface
+	validPolicies := make([]kyvernov1.PolicyInterface, 0, len(policies))
 	for _, pol := range policies {
 		// TODO we should return this info to the caller
 		_, err := policyvalidation.Validate(pol, nil, nil, nil, true, config.KyvernoUserName(config.KyvernoServiceAccountName()))
diff --git a/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/commands/fix/policy/options.go b/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/commands/fix/policy/options.go
index c8f3e203201f..95a0bd96d727 100644
--- a/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/commands/fix/policy/options.go
+++ b/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/commands/fix/policy/options.go
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ func (o options) processFile(out io.Writer, path string) {
 	if len(policies) == 0 {
 		return
 	}
-	var fixed []kyvernov1.PolicyInterface
+	fixed := make([]kyvernov1.PolicyInterface, 0, len(policies))
 	for _, policy := range policies {
 		copy := policy.CreateDeepCopy()
 		fmt.Fprintf(out, "Processing file (%s)...\n", path)
diff --git a/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/commands/jp/parse/command.go b/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/commands/jp/parse/command.go
index fd468c1d4df2..0a14582f8169 100644
--- a/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/commands/jp/parse/command.go
+++ b/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/commands/jp/parse/command.go
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ func loadFile(cmd *cobra.Command, file string) (string, error) {
 }
 
 func loadExpressions(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string, files []string) ([]string, error) {
-	var expressions []string
+	expressions := make([]string, 0, len(args))
 	expressions = append(expressions, args...)
 	for _, file := range files {
 		expression, err := loadFile(cmd, file)
diff --git a/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/commands/jp/query/command.go b/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/commands/jp/query/command.go
index f2547742fe62..ab3ea5c76e8e 100644
--- a/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/commands/jp/query/command.go
+++ b/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/commands/jp/query/command.go
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ func readQuery(cmd *cobra.Command) (string, error) {
 }
 
 func loadQueries(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string, files []string) ([]string, error) {
-	var queries []string
+	queries := make([]string, 0, len(args))
 	queries = append(queries, args...)
 	for _, file := range files {
 		query, err := loadFile(cmd, file)
diff --git a/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/commands/json/scan/options.go b/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/commands/json/scan/options.go
index 7b857313b749..0b0c2cc2e9e8 100644
--- a/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/commands/json/scan/options.go
+++ b/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/commands/json/scan/options.go
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ func (c *options) run(cmd *cobra.Command, _ []string) error {
 	}
 	out.println("Running", "(", "evaluating", len(resources), pluralize.Pluralize(len(resources), "resource", "resources"), "against", len(policies), pluralize.Pluralize(len(policies), "policy", "policies"), ")", "...")
 	e := jsonengine.New()
-	var responses []jsonengine.Response
+	responses := make([]jsonengine.Response, 0, len(resources))
 	for _, resource := range resources {
 		responses = append(responses, e.Run(context.Background(), jsonengine.Request{
 			Resource: resource,
diff --git a/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/commands/test/command.go b/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/commands/test/command.go
index 33ee9609891f..2fafc8dd90d9 100644
--- a/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/commands/test/command.go
+++ b/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/commands/test/command.go
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ func checkResult(test v1alpha1.TestResult, fs billy.Filesystem, resoucePath stri
 }
 
 func lookupEngineResponses(test v1alpha1.TestResult, resourceName string, responses ...engineapi.EngineResponse) []engineapi.EngineResponse {
-	var matches []engineapi.EngineResponse
+	matches := make([]engineapi.EngineResponse, 0, len(responses))
 	for _, response := range responses {
 		policy := response.Policy()
 		resource := response.Resource
diff --git a/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/commands/test/test.go b/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/commands/test/test.go
index 920d3d6c3abc..921477d7b237 100644
--- a/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/commands/test/test.go
+++ b/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/commands/test/test.go
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ func runTest(out io.Writer, testCase test.TestCase, registryAccess bool, auditWa
 		}
 	}
 	// validate policies
-	var validPolicies []kyvernov1.PolicyInterface
+	validPolicies := make([]kyvernov1.PolicyInterface, 0, len(policies))
 	for _, pol := range policies {
 		// TODO we should return this info to the caller
 		_, err := policyvalidation.Validate(pol, nil, nil, nil, true, config.KyvernoUserName(config.KyvernoServiceAccountName()))
diff --git a/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/fix/test.go b/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/fix/test.go
index f629fb4f525e..1409aa2ea625 100644
--- a/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/fix/test.go
+++ b/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/fix/test.go
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ func FixTest(test v1alpha1.Test, compress bool) (v1alpha1.Test, []string, error)
 	if len(test.Resources) == 0 {
 		messages = append(messages, "test has no resources")
 	}
-	var results []v1alpha1.TestResult
+	results := make([]v1alpha1.TestResult, 0, len(test.Results))
 	for _, result := range test.Results {
 		if result.Resource != "" && len(result.Resources) != 0 {
 			messages = append(messages, "test result should not use both `resource` and `resources` fields")
diff --git a/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/output/table/table.go b/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/output/table/table.go
index 7c2f34033983..01af1aa3b3dd 100644
--- a/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/output/table/table.go
+++ b/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/output/table/table.go
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ func (t *Table) Rows(detailed bool) interface{} {
 	if detailed {
 		return t.RawRows
 	}
-	var rows []RowCompact
+	rows := make([]RowCompact, 0, len(t.RawRows))
 	for _, row := range t.RawRows {
 		rows = append(rows, row.RowCompact)
 	}
diff --git a/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/output/table/table_test.go b/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/output/table/table_test.go
index 7c7946196592..b15d39539fb1 100644
--- a/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/output/table/table_test.go
+++ b/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/output/table/table_test.go
@@ -85,7 +85,6 @@ func TestTable_AddFailed(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestTable_Rows(t *testing.T) {
 	var nilRows []Row
-	var nilCompactRows []RowCompact
 	tests := []struct {
 		name     string
 		RawRows  []Row
@@ -93,7 +92,7 @@ func TestTable_Rows(t *testing.T) {
 		want     interface{}
 	}{{
 		name: "nil",
-		want: nilCompactRows,
+		want: []RowCompact{},
 	}, {
 		name:     "nil - detailed",
 		detailed: true,
@@ -186,13 +185,13 @@ func TestTable_Rows(t *testing.T) {
 			Message: "message2",
 		}},
 	}}
-	for _, tt := range tests {
+	for i, tt := range tests {
 		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
 			tr := &Table{
 				RawRows: tt.RawRows,
 			}
 			if got := tr.Rows(tt.detailed); !reflect.DeepEqual(got, tt.want) {
-				t.Errorf("Table.Rows() = %v, want %v", got, tt.want)
+				t.Errorf("test=%v, Table.Rows() = %v, want %v", i, got, tt.want)
 			}
 		})
 	}
diff --git a/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/path/path.go b/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/path/path.go
index 72769bf54eeb..cce6ab35c234 100644
--- a/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/path/path.go
+++ b/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/path/path.go
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ func GetFullPaths(paths []string, basePath string, git bool) []string {
 	if git {
 		return paths
 	}
-	var out []string
+	out := make([]string, 0, len(paths))
 	for _, path := range paths {
 		out = append(out, GetFullPath(path, basePath))
 	}
diff --git a/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/processor/policy_processor.go b/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/processor/policy_processor.go
index 34663a75cd10..75be95fc7b66 100644
--- a/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/processor/policy_processor.go
+++ b/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/processor/policy_processor.go
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ func (p *PolicyProcessor) ApplyPoliciesOnResource() ([]engineapi.EngineResponse,
 		}
 	}
 	resPath := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/%s", resource.GetNamespace(), resource.GetKind(), resource.GetName())
-	var responses []engineapi.EngineResponse
+	responses := make([]engineapi.EngineResponse, 0, len(p.Policies))
 	// mutate
 	for _, policy := range p.Policies {
 		if !policy.GetSpec().HasMutate() {
diff --git a/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/processor/vap_processor.go b/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/processor/vap_processor.go
index 58f219932311..414bc00072ca 100644
--- a/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/processor/vap_processor.go
+++ b/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/processor/vap_processor.go
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ type ValidatingAdmissionPolicyProcessor struct {
 }
 
 func (p *ValidatingAdmissionPolicyProcessor) ApplyPolicyOnResource() ([]engineapi.EngineResponse, error) {
-	var responses []engineapi.EngineResponse
+	responses := make([]engineapi.EngineResponse, 0, len(p.Policies))
 	for _, policy := range p.Policies {
 		policyData := validatingadmissionpolicy.NewPolicyData(policy)
 		for _, binding := range p.Bindings {
diff --git a/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/resource/resource.go b/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/resource/resource.go
index cd5ccd2da480..b80648415eee 100644
--- a/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/resource/resource.go
+++ b/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/resource/resource.go
@@ -19,11 +19,11 @@ import (
 )
 
 func GetUnstructuredResources(resourceBytes []byte) ([]*unstructured.Unstructured, error) {
-	var resources []*unstructured.Unstructured
 	documents, err := yamlutils.SplitDocuments(resourceBytes)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	resources := make([]*unstructured.Unstructured, 0, len(documents))
 	for _, document := range documents {
 		resource, err := YamlToUnstructured(document)
 		if err != nil {
diff --git a/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/utils/common/kyverno_resources_types.go b/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/utils/common/kyverno_resources_types.go
index 45aae6fa4e7c..a5884ffb83eb 100644
--- a/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/utils/common/kyverno_resources_types.go
+++ b/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/utils/common/kyverno_resources_types.go
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ func (r *KyvernoResources) FetchResourcesFromPolicy(out io.Writer, resourcePaths
 	var err error
 
 	resourceTypesMap := make(map[schema.GroupVersionKind]bool)
-	var resourceTypes []schema.GroupVersionKind
 	var subresourceMap map[schema.GroupVersionKind]v1alpha1.Subresource
 
 	for _, policy := range r.policies {
@@ -33,6 +32,7 @@ func (r *KyvernoResources) FetchResourcesFromPolicy(out io.Writer, resourcePaths
 		}
 	}
 
+	resourceTypes := make([]schema.GroupVersionKind, 0, len(resourceTypesMap))
 	for kind := range resourceTypesMap {
 		resourceTypes = append(resourceTypes, kind)
 	}
diff --git a/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/utils/common/validating_admission_resources.go b/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/utils/common/validating_admission_resources.go
index ff60f5a733e3..12b7982ce95e 100644
--- a/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/utils/common/validating_admission_resources.go
+++ b/cmd/cli/kubectl-kyverno/utils/common/validating_admission_resources.go
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@ func (r *ValidatingAdmissionResources) FetchResourcesFromPolicy(out io.Writer, r
 	var err error
 
 	resourceTypesMap := make(map[schema.GroupVersionKind]bool)
-	var resourceTypes []schema.GroupVersionKind
 	var subresourceMap map[schema.GroupVersionKind]v1alpha1.Subresource
 
 	for _, policy := range r.policies {
@@ -33,6 +32,7 @@ func (r *ValidatingAdmissionResources) FetchResourcesFromPolicy(out io.Writer, r
 		}
 	}
 
+	resourceTypes := make([]schema.GroupVersionKind, 0, len(resourceTypesMap))
 	for kind := range resourceTypesMap {
 		resourceTypes = append(resourceTypes, kind)
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/autogen/autogen.go b/pkg/autogen/autogen.go
index 337bb08aa69f..4d6db9f2bfde 100644
--- a/pkg/autogen/autogen.go
+++ b/pkg/autogen/autogen.go
@@ -42,8 +42,8 @@ func checkAutogenSupport(needed *bool, subjects ...kyvernov1.ResourceDescription
 
 // stripCronJob removes CronJob from controllers
 func stripCronJob(controllers string) string {
-	var newControllers []string
 	controllerArr := splitKinds(controllers, ",")
+	newControllers := make([]string, 0, len(controllerArr))
 	for _, c := range controllerArr {
 		if c == PodControllerCronJob {
 			continue
diff --git a/pkg/controllers/report/aggregate/controller.go b/pkg/controllers/report/aggregate/controller.go
index 2cc6933f0d99..f5aefb3a56db 100644
--- a/pkg/controllers/report/aggregate/controller.go
+++ b/pkg/controllers/report/aggregate/controller.go
@@ -419,7 +419,7 @@ func (c *controller) backReconcile(ctx context.Context, logger logr.Logger, _, n
 	reports = append(reports, ephemeralReports...)
 	merged := map[string]policyreportv1alpha2.PolicyReportResult{}
 	mergeReports(policyMap, vapMap, merged, types.UID(name), reports...)
-	var results []policyreportv1alpha2.PolicyReportResult
+	results := make([]policyreportv1alpha2.PolicyReportResult, 0, len(merged))
 	for _, result := range merged {
 		results = append(results, result)
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/controllers/report/background/controller.go b/pkg/controllers/report/background/controller.go
index e464e604b3b8..eb3fa59058c5 100644
--- a/pkg/controllers/report/background/controller.go
+++ b/pkg/controllers/report/background/controller.go
@@ -503,7 +503,7 @@ func (c *controller) reconcile(ctx context.Context, log logr.Logger, key, namesp
 	}
 	// load background policies
 	kyvernoPolicies = utils.RemoveNonBackgroundPolicies(kyvernoPolicies...)
-	var policies []engineapi.GenericPolicy
+	policies := make([]engineapi.GenericPolicy, 0, len(kyvernoPolicies))
 	for _, pol := range kyvernoPolicies {
 		policies = append(policies, engineapi.NewKyvernoPolicy(pol))
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/controllers/webhook/controller.go b/pkg/controllers/webhook/controller.go
index cd6d78930fa7..206fb52bf197 100644
--- a/pkg/controllers/webhook/controller.go
+++ b/pkg/controllers/webhook/controller.go
@@ -737,7 +737,7 @@ func (c *controller) buildResourceMutatingWebhookConfiguration(ctx context.Conte
 }
 
 func (c *controller) buildResourceMutatingWebhookRules(caBundle []byte, webhookCfg config.WebhookConfig, sideEffects *admissionregistrationv1.SideEffectClass, webhooks []*webhook, mapResourceToOpnType map[string][]admissionregistrationv1.OperationType) []admissionregistrationv1.MutatingWebhook {
-	var mutatingWebhooks []admissionregistrationv1.MutatingWebhook
+	mutatingWebhooks := make([]admissionregistrationv1.MutatingWebhook, 0, len(webhooks))
 	for _, webhook := range webhooks {
 		if webhook.isEmpty() {
 			continue
@@ -911,7 +911,7 @@ func (c *controller) buildResourceValidatingWebhookConfiguration(ctx context.Con
 }
 
 func (c *controller) buildResourceValidatingWebhookRules(caBundle []byte, webhookCfg config.WebhookConfig, sideEffects *admissionregistrationv1.SideEffectClass, webhooks []*webhook, mapResourceToOpnType map[string][]admissionregistrationv1.OperationType) []admissionregistrationv1.ValidatingWebhook {
-	var validatingWebhooks []admissionregistrationv1.ValidatingWebhook
+	validatingWebhooks := make([]admissionregistrationv1.ValidatingWebhook, 0, len(webhooks))
 	for _, webhook := range webhooks {
 		if webhook.isEmpty() {
 			continue
diff --git a/pkg/controllers/webhook/utils.go b/pkg/controllers/webhook/utils.go
index 9258aa2163f8..95b0c9b140c7 100644
--- a/pkg/controllers/webhook/utils.go
+++ b/pkg/controllers/webhook/utils.go
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ func newWebhookPerPolicy(timeout int32, failurePolicy admissionregistrationv1.Fa
 }
 
 func (wh *webhook) buildRulesWithOperations(final map[string][]admissionregistrationv1.OperationType, defaultOpn []admissionregistrationv1.OperationType) []admissionregistrationv1.RuleWithOperations {
-	var rules []admissionregistrationv1.RuleWithOperations
+	rules := make([]admissionregistrationv1.RuleWithOperations, 0, len(wh.rules))
 
 	for gv, resources := range wh.rules {
 		firstResource := sets.List(resources)[0]
diff --git a/pkg/cosign/cosign.go b/pkg/cosign/cosign.go
index bfa698c7eedb..b9363ee4424f 100644
--- a/pkg/cosign/cosign.go
+++ b/pkg/cosign/cosign.go
@@ -471,7 +471,7 @@ func decodePEM(raw []byte, signatureAlgorithm crypto.Hash) (signature.Verifier,
 }
 
 func extractPayload(verified []oci.Signature) ([]payload.SimpleContainerImage, error) {
-	var sigPayloads []payload.SimpleContainerImage
+	sigPayloads := make([]payload.SimpleContainerImage, 0, len(verified))
 	for _, sig := range verified {
 		pld, err := sig.Payload()
 		if err != nil {
diff --git a/pkg/engine/adapters/dclient.go b/pkg/engine/adapters/dclient.go
index bf4b7e66c3eb..384574e69178 100644
--- a/pkg/engine/adapters/dclient.go
+++ b/pkg/engine/adapters/dclient.go
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ func (a *dclientAdapter) GetResources(ctx context.Context, group, version, kind,
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	var result []engineapi.Resource
+	result := make([]engineapi.Resource, 0, len(resources))
 	for _, resource := range resources {
 		result = append(result, engineapi.Resource{
 			Group:        resource.Group,
diff --git a/pkg/engine/handlers/mutation/load_targets.go b/pkg/engine/handlers/mutation/load_targets.go
index bcdbf3caa2fe..28ceb71daaca 100644
--- a/pkg/engine/handlers/mutation/load_targets.go
+++ b/pkg/engine/handlers/mutation/load_targets.go
@@ -82,7 +82,6 @@ func resolveSpec(i int, target kyvernov1.TargetResourceSpec, ctx engineapi.Polic
 }
 
 func getTargets(ctx context.Context, client engineapi.Client, target kyvernov1.ResourceSpec, policyCtx engineapi.PolicyContext) ([]resourceInfo, error) {
-	var targetObjects []resourceInfo
 	namespace := target.Namespace
 	name := target.Name
 	policy := policyCtx.Policy()
@@ -95,6 +94,7 @@ func getTargets(ctx context.Context, client engineapi.Client, target kyvernov1.R
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	targetObjects := make([]resourceInfo, 0, len(resources))
 	for _, resource := range resources {
 		targetObjects = append(targetObjects, resourceInfo{
 			unstructured: resource.Unstructured,
diff --git a/pkg/engine/handlers/validation/validate_pss.go b/pkg/engine/handlers/validation/validate_pss.go
index 1d60a8f5a58f..991f07ff2ffc 100644
--- a/pkg/engine/handlers/validation/validate_pss.go
+++ b/pkg/engine/handlers/validation/validate_pss.go
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ func addImages(checks []pssutils.PSSCheckResult, imageInfos map[string]map[strin
 
 // return image references for containers
 func getImages(containerNames []string, imageInfos map[string]map[string]api.ImageInfo) []string {
-	var images []string
+	images := make([]string, 0, len(containerNames))
 	for _, cn := range containerNames {
 		image := getImageReference(cn, imageInfos)
 		images = append(images, image)
diff --git a/pkg/engine/internal/imageverifier.go b/pkg/engine/internal/imageverifier.go
index daf2bf1e4d40..5df45683597e 100644
--- a/pkg/engine/internal/imageverifier.go
+++ b/pkg/engine/internal/imageverifier.go
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ func isImageVerified(resource unstructured.Unstructured, image string, log logr.
 }
 
 func ExpandStaticKeys(attestorSet kyvernov1.AttestorSet) kyvernov1.AttestorSet {
-	var entries []kyvernov1.Attestor
+	entries := make([]kyvernov1.Attestor, 0, len(attestorSet.Entries))
 	for _, e := range attestorSet.Entries {
 		if e.Keys != nil {
 			keys := splitPEM(e.Keys.PublicKeys)
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ func splitPEM(pem string) []string {
 }
 
 func createStaticKeyAttestors(keys []string) []kyvernov1.Attestor {
-	var attestors []kyvernov1.Attestor
+	attestors := make([]kyvernov1.Attestor, 0, len(keys))
 	for _, k := range keys {
 		a := kyvernov1.Attestor{
 			Keys: &kyvernov1.StaticKeyAttestor{
@@ -179,7 +179,7 @@ func createStaticKeyAttestors(keys []string) []kyvernov1.Attestor {
 
 func buildStatementMap(statements []map[string]interface{}) (map[string][]map[string]interface{}, []string) {
 	results := map[string][]map[string]interface{}{}
-	var predicateTypes []string
+	predicateTypes := make([]string, 0, len(statements))
 	for _, s := range statements {
 		predicateType := s["type"].(string)
 		if results[predicateType] != nil {
diff --git a/pkg/engine/jmespath/functionentry.go b/pkg/engine/jmespath/functionentry.go
index cb702fe15d5f..0bd90fa4ca9a 100644
--- a/pkg/engine/jmespath/functionentry.go
+++ b/pkg/engine/jmespath/functionentry.go
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ func (f FunctionEntry) String() string {
 	if f.Name == "" {
 		return ""
 	}
-	var args []string
+	args := make([]string, 0, len(f.Arguments))
 	for _, a := range f.Arguments {
 		var aTypes []string
 		for _, t := range a.Types {
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ func (f FunctionEntry) String() string {
 		}
 		args = append(args, strings.Join(aTypes, "|"))
 	}
-	var returnArgs []string
+	returnArgs := make([]string, 0, len(f.ReturnType))
 	for _, ra := range f.ReturnType {
 		returnArgs = append(returnArgs, string(ra))
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/event/events.go b/pkg/event/events.go
index 2383fcd55e35..89bdc241ee63 100644
--- a/pkg/event/events.go
+++ b/pkg/event/events.go
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ func NewBackgroundFailedEvent(err error, policy kyvernov1.PolicyInterface, rule
 }
 
 func NewBackgroundSuccessEvent(source Source, policy kyvernov1.PolicyInterface, resources []kyvernov1.ResourceSpec) []Info {
-	var events []Info
+	events := make([]Info, 0, len(resources))
 	msg := "resource generated"
 	action := ResourceGenerated
 	if source == MutateExistingController {
diff --git a/pkg/informers/helpers.go b/pkg/informers/helpers.go
index 1805bdffc6fd..9963ab989ef9 100644
--- a/pkg/informers/helpers.go
+++ b/pkg/informers/helpers.go
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ func StartInformers(ctx context.Context, informers ...informer) {
 }
 
 func WaitForCacheSync(ctx context.Context, logger logr.Logger, informers ...informer) bool {
-	var cacheSyncs []cache.InformerSynced
+	cacheSyncs := make([]cache.InformerSynced, 0, len(informers))
 	for i := range informers {
 		cacheSyncs = append(cacheSyncs, informers[i].Informer().HasSynced)
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/policy/utils.go b/pkg/policy/utils.go
index 6429b35ef0d2..9d6a1ab85903 100644
--- a/pkg/policy/utils.go
+++ b/pkg/policy/utils.go
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ func fetchUniqueKinds(rule kyvernov1.Rule) []string {
 }
 
 func convertlist(ulists []unstructured.Unstructured) []*unstructured.Unstructured {
-	var result []*unstructured.Unstructured
+	result := make([]*unstructured.Unstructured, 0, len(ulists))
 	for _, list := range ulists {
 		result = append(result, list.DeepCopy())
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/pss/evaluate.go b/pkg/pss/evaluate.go
index 9fea6bd41d8e..52ac14f5789d 100644
--- a/pkg/pss/evaluate.go
+++ b/pkg/pss/evaluate.go
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ func exemptExclusions(defaultCheckResults, excludeCheckResults []pssutils.PSSChe
 		}
 	}
 
-	var newDefaultCheckResults []pssutils.PSSCheckResult
+	newDefaultCheckResults := make([]pssutils.PSSCheckResult, 0, len(defaultCheckResultsMap))
 	for _, result := range defaultCheckResultsMap {
 		newDefaultCheckResults = append(newDefaultCheckResults, result)
 	}
@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ func parseField(field string) (string, []int, string, bool) {
 	matchesIdx := regexIndex.FindAllStringSubmatch(field, -1)
 	matchesStr := regexStr.FindAllString(field, -1)
 	field = regexIndex.ReplaceAllString(field, "*")
-	var indexes []int
+	indexes := make([]int, 0, len(matchesIdx))
 	for _, match := range matchesIdx {
 		index, _ := strconv.Atoi(match[0])
 		indexes = append(indexes, index)
diff --git a/pkg/utils/api/image.go b/pkg/utils/api/image.go
index 6e9e4def1e75..8b43f54f5e3f 100644
--- a/pkg/utils/api/image.go
+++ b/pkg/utils/api/image.go
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ func extract(
 }
 
 func BuildStandardExtractors(tags ...string) []imageExtractor {
-	var extractors []imageExtractor
+	extractors := make([]imageExtractor, 0, 3)
 	for _, tag := range []string{"initContainers", "containers", "ephemeralContainers"} {
 		var t []string
 		t = append(t, tags...)
diff --git a/pkg/utils/json/utils.go b/pkg/utils/json/utils.go
index b9aeca5f9e6c..0dc85aef7d70 100644
--- a/pkg/utils/json/utils.go
+++ b/pkg/utils/json/utils.go
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ func JoinPatches(patches ...[]byte) []byte {
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	var patchOperations []string
+	patchOperations := make([]string, 0, len(patches))
 	for _, patch := range patches {
 		str := strings.TrimSpace(string(patch))
 		if len(str) == 0 {
diff --git a/pkg/utils/report/results.go b/pkg/utils/report/results.go
index 062dc6421f1a..ac21016dc164 100644
--- a/pkg/utils/report/results.go
+++ b/pkg/utils/report/results.go
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ func EngineResponseToReportResults(response engineapi.EngineResponse) []policyre
 	policyType := pol.GetType()
 	annotations := pol.GetAnnotations()
 
-	var results []policyreportv1alpha2.PolicyReportResult
+	results := make([]policyreportv1alpha2.PolicyReportResult, 0, len(response.PolicyResponse.Rules))
 	for _, ruleResult := range response.PolicyResponse.Rules {
 		result := ToPolicyReportResult(policyType, policyName, ruleResult, annotations, nil)
 		results = append(results, result)
diff --git a/pkg/validatingadmissionpolicy/api.go b/pkg/validatingadmissionpolicy/api.go
index 076ed001ccb5..b8030406de5c 100644
--- a/pkg/validatingadmissionpolicy/api.go
+++ b/pkg/validatingadmissionpolicy/api.go
@@ -41,11 +41,11 @@ type CustomNamespaceLister struct {
 }
 
 func (c *CustomNamespaceLister) List(selector labels.Selector) (ret []*corev1.Namespace, err error) {
-	var namespaces []*corev1.Namespace
 	namespace, err := c.dClient.GetKubeClient().CoreV1().Namespaces().List(context.Background(), metav1.ListOptions{})
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	namespaces := make([]*corev1.Namespace, 0, len(namespace.Items))
 	for _, ns := range namespace.Items {
 		nsCopy := ns
 		namespaces = append(namespaces, &nsCopy)
diff --git a/pkg/validatingadmissionpolicy/version_converter.go b/pkg/validatingadmissionpolicy/version_converter.go
index 1e2d294417b2..a8428fe4048c 100644
--- a/pkg/validatingadmissionpolicy/version_converter.go
+++ b/pkg/validatingadmissionpolicy/version_converter.go
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ func ConvertValidatingAdmissionPolicyBinding(v1alpha1binding v1alpha1.Validating
 }
 
 func convertRules(v1alpha1rules []v1alpha1.NamedRuleWithOperations) []v1beta1.NamedRuleWithOperations {
-	var v1beta1rules []v1beta1.NamedRuleWithOperations
+	v1beta1rules := make([]v1beta1.NamedRuleWithOperations, 0, len(v1alpha1rules))
 	for _, r := range v1alpha1rules {
 		v1beta1rules = append(v1beta1rules, v1beta1.NamedRuleWithOperations(r))
 	}
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ func convertRules(v1alpha1rules []v1alpha1.NamedRuleWithOperations) []v1beta1.Na
 }
 
 func convertValidations(v1alpha1validations []v1alpha1.Validation) []v1beta1.Validation {
-	var v1beta1validations []v1beta1.Validation
+	v1beta1validations := make([]v1beta1.Validation, 0, len(v1alpha1validations))
 	for _, v := range v1alpha1validations {
 		v1beta1validations = append(v1beta1validations, v1beta1.Validation(v))
 	}
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ func convertValidations(v1alpha1validations []v1alpha1.Validation) []v1beta1.Val
 }
 
 func convertAuditAnnotations(v1alpha1auditanns []v1alpha1.AuditAnnotation) []v1beta1.AuditAnnotation {
-	var v1beta1auditanns []v1beta1.AuditAnnotation
+	v1beta1auditanns := make([]v1beta1.AuditAnnotation, 0, len(v1alpha1auditanns))
 	for _, a := range v1alpha1auditanns {
 		v1beta1auditanns = append(v1beta1auditanns, v1beta1.AuditAnnotation(a))
 	}
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ func convertAuditAnnotations(v1alpha1auditanns []v1alpha1.AuditAnnotation) []v1b
 }
 
 func convertMatchConditions(v1alpha1conditions []v1alpha1.MatchCondition) []v1beta1.MatchCondition {
-	var v1beta1conditions []v1beta1.MatchCondition
+	v1beta1conditions := make([]v1beta1.MatchCondition, 0, len(v1alpha1conditions))
 	for _, m := range v1alpha1conditions {
 		v1beta1conditions = append(v1beta1conditions, v1beta1.MatchCondition(m))
 	}
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ func convertMatchConditions(v1alpha1conditions []v1alpha1.MatchCondition) []v1be
 }
 
 func convertVariables(v1alpha1variables []v1alpha1.Variable) []v1beta1.Variable {
-	var v1beta1variables []v1beta1.Variable
+	v1beta1variables := make([]v1beta1.Variable, 0, len(v1alpha1variables))
 	for _, v := range v1alpha1variables {
 		v1beta1variables = append(v1beta1variables, v1beta1.Variable(v))
 	}
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ func convertVariables(v1alpha1variables []v1alpha1.Variable) []v1beta1.Variable
 }
 
 func convertValidationActions(v1alpha1actions []v1alpha1.ValidationAction) []v1beta1.ValidationAction {
-	var v1beta1actions []v1beta1.ValidationAction
+	v1beta1actions := make([]v1beta1.ValidationAction, 0, len(v1alpha1actions))
 	for _, a := range v1alpha1actions {
 		v1beta1actions = append(v1beta1actions, v1beta1.ValidationAction(a))
 	}
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ func convertValidationActions(v1alpha1actions []v1alpha1.ValidationAction) []v1b
 }
 
 func ConvertMatchConditionsV1(v1alpha1conditions []v1alpha1.MatchCondition) []admissionregistrationv1.MatchCondition {
-	var v1conditions []admissionregistrationv1.MatchCondition
+	v1conditions := make([]admissionregistrationv1.MatchCondition, 0, len(v1alpha1conditions))
 	for _, m := range v1alpha1conditions {
 		v1conditions = append(v1conditions, admissionregistrationv1.MatchCondition(m))
 	}