What is a Container?

A container is a minimalist, isolated user-space environment that runs at the operating system level and shares system resources with other instances. Containers are designed to provide a portable and consistent runtime environment for applications, while consuming less resources than a traditional server or virtual machine. This allows for an overall better use of computing resources in multi-component, distributed applications, and highly-available systems.

Unlike virtual machines, which are typically built on top of computer-emulated hardware and run fully isolated operating systems, containers share resources from the host such as the kernel and the filesystem, which results in a smaller footprint.

Docker, a popular open source containerization tool, was largely instrumental in spurring the adoption of component-based application design with self-contained micro services. While other containerizing systems exist, Docker became popular for providing a more accessible and comprehensive interface around the technology.