HomeBlogIT EducationWhat is Docker? Learn How to Use Containers Explained with Examples

What is Docker? Learn How to Use Containers Explained with Examples

Share your application with the world (or other developers on your team). Build more efficiently with recommended remediation, resulting in simplified development processes. Address security issues before they hit production through a complete view of the software supply chain. We can restart the container either by specifying the first few unique characters of its container ID or by specifying its name. Whereas in this example, Docker starts the container named elated_franklin.

what is a docker container

You just have to deploy WordPress as a Docker image to install it in a container. Container orchestration automates the deployment, management, scaling, and networking of containers. Each Docker image file is made up of a series of layers that are combined into a single image. Every time a user specifies a command, such as run or copy, a new layer gets created. A container is basically where your application or specific resource is located.

Use containers to Build, Share and Run your applications

Then you have an image, which is from what the container is built. The images contains all the information that a container needs to build a container exactly the same way across any systems. All containers use the same OS resources
therefore they take less time to boot up and utilise the CPU
efficiently with less hardware costs. Ubuntu Core is a minimalistic and immutable version explicitly designed for the Internet of Things (IoT) and embedded systems.

what is a docker container

Thus it supports multiple containers with different application requirements and dependencies to run on the same host, as long as they have the same operating system requirements. From streamlining development environments to following the best DevOps practices, Docker consistently stands out as a great platform for application deployment and management. Throughout this article, we have explored how Docker technology revolutionizes the deployment and management of applications. Docker enables an unparalleled level of efficiency and flexibility in software development. Docker Compose is also invaluable in local development environments.

What is Docker? Learn How to Use Containers – Explained with Examples

If this explanation still causes you to scratch your head, consider the following analogy using shipping containers. So, a Dockerfile is used to build a Docker Image which is then used as the template for creating one or more Docker containers. This standardisation was the key to the success of shipping containers. After all, if one company’s containers didn’t fit on another company’s ship, truck, or freight train, they couldn’t be properly transported. Every company would need its own fleet of containers to be able to send things to each of their customers – which would be an operational nightmare. The Docker client (docker) is the primary way that many Docker users interact
with Docker.

what is a docker container

We deliver hardened solutions that make it easier for enterprises to work across platforms and environments, from the core datacenter to the network edge. A Linux container is a set of processes isolated from the system, running from a distinct image that provides all the files necessary to support the processes. The Docker technology uses the Linux kernel and features of the kernel, like Cgroups and namespaces, to segregate processes so they can run independently. Docker has become a standard tool for DevOps as it is an effective application to improve operational efficiencies.

Accelerate how you build, share, and run applications

Docker is perfect for high density
environments and for small and medium deployments where you need to do more with
fewer resources. While the guide goes through setting up a self-hosted document management program called Paperless, it’s pretty easy to expand this to other services you might want to host on your own why do we need docker as well. And although it’s a little more involved you can always build your own containers too as our own [Ben James] discussed back in 2018. By installing Jenkins, you can automate crucial tasks such as building Docker images, running tests within containers, and deploying containers to production environments.

Virtual machines (VMs) are an abstraction of physical hardware turning one server into many servers. Each VM includes a full copy of an operating system, the application, necessary binaries and libraries – taking up tens of GBs. In short, Docker would virtualize the operating system of the host on which it is installed and running, rather than virtualizing the hardware components. Unlike Kubernetes, Docker Swarm is particularly well-suited for smaller-scale deployments without the overhead and complexity. It offers a simple approach to orchestration, allowing users to set up and manage a cluster of Docker containers quickly.

New to containers?

After that the docker server will use it to create an instance of a container, and we know that a container is an instance of an image, its sole purpose is to run one very specific program. So the docker server then essentially took that image file from image cache and loaded it up into memory to created a container out of it and then ran a single program inside of it. And that single programs purpose was to print out the message that you see. So because the image cache was empty the docker server decided to reach out to a free service called Docker hub. The Docker Hub is a repository of free public images that you can freely download and run on your personal computer.

Using a YAML file to define services, networks, and volumes streamlines the complexities of orchestrating multiple containers. This is the physical machine that is used to create the virtual machines. This allows multiple virtual machines, each with their own operating systems (OS), to run on a single physical server. Docker containers virtualize the operating system and share the host OS kernel, making them lightweight and fast. In contrast, virtual machines (VMs) virtualize entire hardware systems and run a full-fledged guest operating system, which results in more resource-intensive operations. Getting new hardware up, running, provisioned, and available used to take days, and the level of effort and overhead was burdensome.

Docker’s container-based platform allows for highly portable workloads. Docker
containers can run on a developer’s local laptop, on physical or virtual
machines in a data center, on cloud providers, or in a mixture of environments. Docker streamlines the development lifecycle by allowing developers to work in
standardized environments using local containers which provide your applications
and services.

what is a docker container

Spinning up a VM only to isolate a single application is a lot of overhead. A container is defined by its image as well as any configuration options you
provide to it when you create or start it. When a container is removed, any changes to
its state that aren’t stored in persistent storage disappear. You can create, start, stop,
move, or delete a container using the Docker API or CLI. You can connect a
container to one or more networks, attach storage to it, or even create a new
image based on its current state.

Getting started

And you get flexibility with those containers—you can create, deploy, copy, and move them from environment to environment, which helps optimize your apps for the cloud. Containers are similar to virtual machines, except containers are not whole operating systems. Containers generally only include the necessary OS packages and applications.

  • Docker’s container-based platform allows for highly portable workloads.
  • When you launched the container, you exposed one of the container’s ports onto your machine.
  • This requirement document will then be used to create a detailed template for the container which will include engineering drawings showing the dimensions and other specifications.
  • So the docker server then essentially took that image file from image cache and loaded it up into memory to created a container out of it and then ran a single program inside of it.
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