In this article we have summed up 10 things about Docker that any beginner should consider before getting started. If you work in enterprise IT, you have heard of Docker. Even Among hot technologies such as Puppet, Hadoop, and MongoDB, Docker stands out.
Before you download Docker and give it a spin, however,
There are 10 things about Docker you should know about the super-popular container technology.
10 things about Docker
1: Docker packages and distributes Software
A modern software system comprises many parts. Including It’s hard enough to assemble these diverse components on a single machine, but it is dramatically more complex when you “boat” that software. As soon as you ship your software, you want to figure out a way to package all these things together. And place them where they need to run. Docker is a container technology that makes it easy to package software, together with all its dependencies. And send it to the developer across the room, to staging or production, or where it needs to run.
2: Docker is not particularly new
Container technology has been with us for decades. While containers proved useful in the mainframe era. Docker has hit its stride now because of a confluence of factors. Including the presence of Linux, the spread of virtualization, and the cloud’s erosion of the value of operating systems.
3: Docker is offered by every hosting Service
No matter who your chosen vendor happens to be, chances are Roughly 100% that they encourage Docker. From Amazon Web Services into Red Hat to Google, everybody loves Docker.
4: Docker is not just dedicated for Linux
Docker’s roots are in Linux, but Microsoft has embraced it In a big way. Docker is determined by Linux technologies like Linux Containers (LXC) and the cgroups and namespaces capabilities, which do not currently exist in Windows. So Microsoft is furiously working on building out such hooks to enable Docker containers to run on Windows Server, also. Microsoft has been operating its own containerization technology on Windows for years. But the company is broadening its strategy to also support the community standard, Docker.
5: Docker has qualities of virtual machines
At the heart of Docker are Linux’s cgroups (Control Groups). Which provide the means to account for and limit the amount of CPU, memory, network, and disk resources that a container uses. This offers a number of the advantages of virtualization. Such as the ability to carve up a computer into smaller chunks of tools so that you don’t have one procedure taking over all the computer and starving others. But it doesn’t come with the heavy overhead or cost of VMware.
6: Docker is quicker than starting a virtual machine (milliseconds vs. minutes)
If you want to run multiple tasks on a single server, the Traditional approach would be split it up into virtual machines and utilize each VM to run one job. However, VMs are slow to start, provided that they need to boot a whole operating system, which may take minutes. They are also resourced intensive, as each VM must run a full OS instance. Containers offer a number of this same behavior but are much quicker, because starting a container is like starting a procedure. Docker containers also need much less overhead — really no more expensive than a process.
7: Docker is not a replacement of VMs
Docker is not a like-for-like replacement for virtual Machines because it requires that your containers share the same underlying operating system. That means that you won’t be able to run Windows and Linux programs on the same server, for example. Plus, as Docker containers now stand, they offer much poorer security isolation than VMs, making them inappropriate options for some types of multi-tenancy.
8: Docker is being developed at a rapid pace
Climbing aboard the Docker train is similar to boarding a steam Engine and more like jumping onto a Japanese bullet train… as it passes you at 250 MPH. Consider that Docker’s 1.5-year-old API is already at revision 15, and you will get a sense for how fast it is changing. While Docker has been”ripening as it begins to grow into stable, enterprise-worthy software,” it doesn’t carry the 10-year support devotion that businesses expect from their applications.
9: Competition for Docker is high
As popular as Docker is, it’s not impervious to competition. These and other competitors appear to chafe at Docker’s closed ecosystem. In the Docker world, everything depends on the Docker registry. You must rely on Docker Inc.’s registry or run a copy of Docker on your own data center, which is not free. Like any new technology, you’re probably going to want to Walk until you run with Docker. From a technology perspective, there are definite do’s and don’ts you should think about while you become familiar with running applications in Docker containers. But it’s more than just code. As suggested above, Docker’s community might not be a match for you. You should join the community — attend meetups, read and participate on mailing lists, etc. — and decide for yourself if Docker is where you need to invest your time. However you choose to approach Docker, containers are here to stay.
Containers simplify so much that is difficult in contemporary computing. Docker is the chief of the container pack, and you are going to need to come to terms with it. What those terms are will depend on you and the state of your own enterprise infrastructure.
10: Be prepared before you start with Docker
As with any new technology, you are probably going to want to Walk until you run with Docker. From a technology perspective, there are definite do’s and don’ts you should consider while you become familiar with running programs in Docker containers. As suggested previously, Docker’s community may not be a match for you. You should join the community — attend meetups, read and participate on mailing lists, etc. — and decide for yourself if Docker is where you want to invest your time.
However you choose to approach Docker, containers are here to stay. Containers simplify so much that is difficult in contemporary computing. Docker is the leader of the container pack, and you’re going to need to come to terms with it. What those terms are will depend on you and the state of your own enterprise infrastructure.