Why use Docker?
Developers use Docker for efficient and consistent application packaging and deployment across different environments. It simplifies containerization and isolates applications for reliable, and scalable deployments. The following features of Docker make it so popular and extensively used worldwide among developers:
- Low Resource Consumption – Containers use the host machine’s OS thus there is no need to install an operating system on each container, making each container smaller and lightweight. The container can run on the cloud, so the need for large servers is also eliminated.
- Scalability – Docker supports both horizontal and vertical scaling. With horizontal scaling, you can deploy and manage multiple containers to manage the work and with vertical scaling, you can resize the computing resource by expanding or limiting the CPU resource.
- Container Versioning – Docker can manage the versioning of container images and can roll back to the previous version and even get the details of a specific version. Deltas between a version and the new version can also be uploaded.
- Flexibility and Versatility – Docker allows diversity of programming and system requirements required for the application eliminating the issue of cross-platform compatibility and ensuring flexibility and versatility.
Top 10 Docker Alternatives For Software Developers
Imagine you worked hard to create an application with various libraries and dependencies. The application runs smoothly and efficiently on your system. What if want to send the application to someone else’s system? The person would require a whole lot of setup of the application to run it. Even after the setup, a single change in the code and configuration might disrupt the whole application on either of the systems or in the worst case both systems.
That’s when Docker entered the scene. It helps you to efficiently deploy and run your application across various platforms and systems. You can just take a screenshot of your application combined with all the setup intact and send it over to other systems to run it similarly as it is available to you on your local machine. It provides an isolated version of the application to be shared among various systems and platforms.