Docker is a platform as a service product (PaaS) that uses OS-level virtualization and delivers encapsulated software in packages called containers. The software that hosts the container is called Docker Engine. Libraries, packages, and services isolate the containers from one another, but they can easily communicate over defined channels.
In the following few paragraphs, we will briefly explain docker containers. Let’s learn more about them!
Table of Contents
What is a Docker Container?
A Docker container is a standard software unit with packaged code and all its dependencies for the application to run smoothly in its environment isolated from another. We need the Docker image to create the Docker container. The Docker Container image is a read-only template with instructions for creating a Docker container. It is a lightweight standalone executable package that contains everything the application needs to run, such as code, system libraries, system tools, settings, etc. The containerized software will always run the same whether using Windows or Linux. Docker allows us to build, test, and deploy our applications quickly. The containers are lightweight, standard, and secure.
Standard: Docker containers are portable, encapsulated applications, and their dependencies are easy to migrate between different environments.
Lightweight: Docker containers share the Machine’s OS kernel and do not require different OS per application, reducing the server costs.
Secure: Applications are safer in the Docker containers because Docker offers the best isolation capabilities.
How Does Docker Container Work?
Unlike the Virtual machines that virtualize the hardware, the Docker containers virtualize the operating system. The containers use a single OS to create the virtual application and run on a shared OS. The software that hosts the containers is called the Docker Engine. The Docker engine provides tools, services, and libraries for building, deploying, and running containerized applications. It is installed on the server and provides simple commands to make, start, or stop containers.
What is Docker Engine
Docker Engine is an open-source containerization technology for building and containerizing applications. Docker Engine acts as a client-server application with daemon process dockerd, API specifying interfaces the program can use to talk and instruct the Docker daemon, and a command line interface (CLI) docker. The Apache License 2.0 licenses the Docker Engine.
Why Use Docker?
Using Docker has many benefits for your applications. It lets you ship your application faster, standardize the application operations, etc. Using Docker, you can use it everywhere. The Docker commands have straightforward syntax, giving you complete control over Docker processes. The following paragraphs are the advantages of the Docker containers:
Ship Software Faster: Docker users ship software seven times more frequently than non-Docker users. Docker simplifies the application development and deployment process. It allows developers to work in local environments identical to production environments, which reduces compatibility issues and speeds up the development cycle.
Scalability: With Scalability, we can create multiple instances of one container and distribute the workload efficiently.
Seamlessly Move: Docker-based applications can seamlessly move from local development to production without data loss and delay.
Resource-Effective: The containers share the same operating system kernel, requiring less disk space or RAM. This allows you to run more applications on the same machine, saving resources and reducing costs.
Summary
Docker has changed the way applications are programmed and deployed. It has been used more and more daily in the last ten years. Its usage growth as well as its community. Docker Hub remains the world’s most extensive library and community for trusted, high-quality images. There are approximately 8 million application container image repos on Hub.
That’s it. You learned what a Docker container is and the benefits of using it. Of course, if you plan to use Docker and want to install it, you do not have to do this alone. You only need to sign up for one of our NVMe VPS plans and submit a support ticket. Our admins will help you with your server’s Docker installation and configuration.
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