The idea to compartmentalize the OS to efficiently use ressources is a bit older
Before docker the common virtualization technique was using OS level virtualization. IIRC Vagrant was the tool du jour
So the big selling point of Docker was that it allowed to solve two problems at once; separating the Kernel from the Userland allowed
run different software stacks which were either incompatible with the OSses software stack or incompatible to each other
Each container comes with its own userland
use a shared kernel and minimal common userland minimizes the space used for the actual userland necessarry to operate in contrast to a full blown installation of kernel and userland when using OS level virtualization
Nice side-effect:
faster spin-up time for the stack as a whole
Additionally:
In conclusion, Docker is popular because it has revolutionized development
From what was said above, I believe it is popular because it made efficient deployment possible which is a different POV.
When you should not use Docker or containers
When using a single machine as a single deployment target with very few processes running. Say your typical OTS web application with a DB and low to medium traffic where it is even OK to run everything on a single box.
For further actions, you may consider blocking this person and/or reporting abuse
We're a place where coders share, stay up-to-date and grow their careers.
Hello Dave,
thank you for your insights.
To complete the picture a bit, one might add:
The idea to compartmentalize the OS to efficiently use ressources is a bit older
So the big selling point of Docker was that it allowed to solve two problems at once; separating the Kernel from the Userland allowed
Each container comes with its own userland
Nice side-effect:
Additionally:
From what was said above, I believe it is popular because it made efficient deployment possible which is a different POV.
When using a single machine as a single deployment target with very few processes running. Say your typical OTS web application with a DB and low to medium traffic where it is even OK to run everything on a single box.