What is Docker?
Docker is an open-source containerization platform
by which you can pack your application and all its dependencies into a
standardized unit called a container. Containers are light in weight which
makes them portable and they are isolated from the underlying infrastructure
and from each other container. You can run the docker image as
a docker container in any machine where docker is installed without
depending on the operating system.
What is a Dockerfile?
The Dockerfile uses DSL (Domain Specific
Language) and contains instructions for generating a Docker image. Dockerfile
will define the processes to quickly produce an image. While creating your
application, you should create a Dockerfile in order since the Docker
daemon runs all of the instructions from top to bottom.
(The Docker daemon, often referred to simply as
“Docker,” is a background service that manages Docker containers on a system.)
- It
is a text document that contains necessary commands which on execution
help assemble a Docker Image.
- Docker
image is created using a Dockerfile.
What is Docker Architecture and How Docker Works?
Docker makes use of a client-server architecture.
The Docker client talks with the docker daemon which helps in building,
running, and distributing the docker containers. The Docker client runs with
the daemon on the same system or we can connect the Docker client with the
Docker daemon remotely. With the help of REST API over a UNIX socket or a
network, the docker client and daemon interact with each other.
What is Docker Image?
Docker Image is an executable package of software that includes
everything needed to run an application. This image informs how a container
should instantiate, determining which software components will run and how.
Docker Container is a virtual environment that bundles application code with
all the dependencies required to run the application. The application runs
quickly and reliably from one computing environment to another.
What
is Docker Container?
Docker container
is a runtime instance of an image. Allows developers to package applications
with all parts needed such as libraries and other dependencies. Docker
Containers are runtime instances of Docker images. Containers contain the whole
kit required for an application, so the application can be run in an isolated
way. For eg.- Suppose there is an image of Ubuntu OS with NGINX SERVER when
this image is run with the docker run command, then a container will be created
and NGINX SERVER will be running on Ubuntu OS.
What
is Docker Hub?
Docker Hub is a
repository service and it is a cloud-based service where people push their
Docker Container Images and also pull the Docker Container Images from the
Docker Hub anytime or anywhere via the internet. Generally it makes it easy to
find and reuse images. It provides features such as you can push your images as
private or public registry where you can store and share Docker images.
Mainly DevOps team
uses the Docker Hub. It is an open-source tool and freely available for all
operating systems. It is like storage where we store the images and pull the
images when it is required. When a person wants to push/pull images from the
Docker Hub they must have a basic knowledge of Docker. Let us discuss the
requirements of the Docker tool.
What
is Docker Compose?
Docker Compose
will execute a YAML-based multi-container application. The YAML file consists
of all configurations needed to deploy containers Docker Compose, which is
integrated with Docker Swarm, and provides directions for building and
deploying containers. With Docker Compose, each container is constructed to run
on a single host.
Docker Commands
·
Docker Run: It used for launching
the containers from images, with specifying the runtime options and commands.
·
Docker Pull: It fetches the
container images from the container registry like Docker Hub to the local
machine.
·
Docker ps: It helps in displaying the
running containers along with their important information like container ID,
image used and status.
·
Docker Stop: It helps in halting the
running containers gracefully shutting down the processes within them.
·
Docker Start: It helps in restarting the
stopped containers, resuming their operations from the previous state.
·
Docker Login: It helps to login in to
the docker registry enabling the access to private repositories.
Docker Engine
The software that hosts the containers is named Docker Engine.
Docker Engine is a client-server based application. The docker engine has 3
main components:
1. Server: It is responsible for creating and managing
Docker images, containers, networks, and volumes on the Docker. It is referred
to as a daemon process.
2. REST API: It specifies how the applications can interact with the Server and
instructs it what to do.
3.
Client: The Client is a docker
command-line interface (CLI), that allows us to interact with Docker using the
docker commands.
Why to use Docker?
Docker can be used to pack the application and its dependencies
which makes it lightweight and easy to ship the code faster with more
reliability. Docker make its very simple to run the application in the
production environment docker container can be platform independent if the
docker engine is installed in the machine.
·
Resource Efficiency: Docker helps in maximizing
the resource utilization by running the multiple containers on a single host.
It helps in reducing the infrastructure costs and improves the efficiency.
·
Version Control: It simples the
versioning for the applications and their dependencies ensuring the consistency
and making easier of collaboration across the teams.
·
Microservices Agility: It enables the adoption
of microservices architecture, promoting the scalability, flexibility and fault
isolation agile application development.
The following are the some of
the benefits of Docker:
·
Portability: Docker facilities with
creation of lightweight portable containers that can be unable on any machine
regardless of the underlying operating systems.
·
Isolation: Docker through
containers provides a high level of isolation with enabling the applications to
run independently of each other addressing the issues that one container
doesn’t impact on other.
·
Reproducibility: With, Docker developers
can easily package their applications and their dependencies into a reusable
images. It allows for consistent and repoduciable builds across the
development, testing and production environments.
·
DevOps Integration: It promotes the
collaboration and automation across the software development life cycle in
handing the increasing workloads.
Alternatives of Docker
The following are the alternatives of Docker:
·
Podman: Offers a Docker-compatible
container engine with a focus on security and compatibility, ideal for
environments where Docker is not preferred or available.
·
rkt: A lightweight container
runtime developed by CoreOS, designed for simplicity, security, and
composability, offering an alternative to Docker’s container runtime.
·
LXC (Linux Containers): Provides
operating-system-level virtualization for running multiple isolated Linux
systems (containers) on a single host, offering a lightweight alternative to
Docker for certain use cases.
·
containerd: An industry-standard
core container runtime developed by Docker, Inc., offering a minimal and stable
platform for building containerized applications, often used as a lower-level
alternative to Docker for more advanced container orchestration systems like
Kubernetes.
Docker Security
The following are the some of the insights on docker security:
·
Isolation: Docker containers provides
the strong isolation ensuring the applications and processing its running.
·
Immutable Infrastructure: It promotes the use of
immutable infrastructure, where containers are build from the immutable images
that are version controlled.
·
Resource Constraints: It allows you to define the
resource constraints for containers such as CPU and memory limits.
·
Security Scanning: It provides the built-in
security scanning tools that allows you to scan the container images for known
vulnerabilities and malware before deployment.