Docker is one of the fastest-growing technologies of recent history, gaining unparalleled momentum in the IT world. Soon enough, it has also started converting many practitioners—including ourselves.
Its containerization technology allows users to have ever more apps running on the same servers. At the same time, it simplifies the process of packaging and shipping programs.
Yet, Docker is not the only container software on the market. There are countless other similar technologies. So what is it that makes it so incredibly popular?
The Benefits of Using Docker
One reason why Docker has gathered so much attention is that it provides a go-to platform. This platform is able to assemble and manage not only the apps but also their dependencies. As such, they can be placed in a container and managed effectively on a Linux server. Docker allows the application to run on-premises, on a private cloud. This, in turn, is in the public cloud. Thus, it brings increased flexibility and portability, benefits that its competitors can not promise.
Another benefit of using Docker is that major cloud providers have adopted it on their platforms. Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure have all integrated Docker containers. Extra support comes from cloud infrastructure tools such as Cloud Foundry Diego, OpenStack Nova, OpenSVC, etc.
Container technologies and especially Docker provides new opportunities to software developers and data center operators. Mainly, they allow you to run more applications on the same hardware. Additionally, they increase the ease of managing and deploying applications. Creating ready-to-run containerized apps is also a major plus. It comes as no surprise that given all these pros, Docker enjoys such popularity.
There’s a whole lot more to Docker containers, but this should be enough to sparkle the interest. Like most open-source projects, Docker is based on a fast-developing codebase. Here, I would advise you to visit the project’s blog page for the latest information recurrently.