Think inside the box: Container use cases, examples and applications

Container administration has come a good distance. For many years, managing containerized environments was a comparatively easy affair. The fashionable concept of a pc container initially appeared again within the Seventies, with the idea first getting used to assist outline utility code on Unix programs.

Trendy containerization expertise has moved on steadily from these early beginnings, and when firms run containers now, they’re getting much more utility for his or her funding. From small startups to giant, established companies, container frameworks have confirmed exceedingly able to producing secure workflows with optimized runtimes and steady supply.

What’s a container?

Containers are executable items of software program the place utility code is packaged with its libraries and dependencies. They’re packaged in standardized methods in order that the code may be run anyplace, together with desktop, conventional IT or the cloud.

That is achieved by means of a type of working system (OS) virtualization during which options of the OS kernel (e.g., Linux namespaces and cgroups, Home windows silos and job objects) may be leveraged to isolate processes and management the quantity of CPU, reminiscence and disk that these processes can entry.

Containers and Docker

Container expertise basically modified in 2013 with Docker’s introduction and has continued unabated into this decade, steadily gaining in recognition and person acceptance. Clearly, there was a robust however unmet market demand for containerization software program of this sort, as evidenced by Docker’s fast success and now overwhelming market superiority.

One 2021 IBM survey revealed that 61% of respondents indicated they’d used containers in a minimum of 50% of the brand new purposes they’d constructed over the last 2 years. An excellent bigger group of respondents (64%) reported anticipating to make use of containers for a minimum of 50% of the apps they might construct over the subsequent 2 years.

Containers are all about distributing and defending knowledge and working apps. Due to this fact, it makes excellent sense that IT industries are the first customers of containerization software program, with the next industries rating as the highest three beneficiaries (hyperlink resides outdoors ibm.com):

Machine studying

Software program improvement

Synthetic intelligence (AI)

Docker and Kubernetes

The containerized purposes market is presently dominated by two entities:

Docker

Essentially the most generally used containerization platform is Docker. Docker containers had been initially constructed across the Docker Engine in 2013 and run in keeping with an utility programming interface (API). Docker is definitely a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and its fundamental profit is its flexibility. Docker can take any utility and its related dependencies and switch it right into a digital container, which may then be run on any Home windows, macOS or Linux-running laptop. The system makes use of Docker photos, that are read-only templates which can be used for constructing containers, and Dockerfiles, that are textual content recordsdata that accompany and clarify Docker photos. Docker photos and different container photos require an area during which to run. That is managed by the container runtime—a software program resolution interacting with the OS to make the required room to run container photos.

Kubernetes

The preferred container orchestration platform is Kubernetes, which was created by Google in 2014 and remains to be fashionable for the sturdy manner it automates the deployment of software program, allows scalability and helps container administration. Additional, Kubernetes is an open-source system and encourages the avid participation of contributors (who oversee the mission now), with every software program supplier placing its personal spin on Kubernetes. For instance, with some providers, customers can’t solely create Kubernetes clusters but in addition deploy scalable internet apps and analyze logs.

At current, Docker and Kubernetes are by far probably the most popularly used instruments coping with laptop containers. Based on latest containerization projections for 2024 (hyperlink resides outdoors ibm.com), Dockers now controls an enormous 82.8% of this market, whereas Kubernetes checks in with an 11.52% market share.

To be taught extra about how Kubernetes and Docker relate, take a look at “Kubernetes vs. Docker: Why Not Each?”

Container use circumstances

There’s no scarcity of relatable use circumstances involving containers as a result of they’re turning into more and more outstanding, particularly in cloud computing environments or ecosystems. Many organizations are even contemplating containers as a alternative for digital machines (VMs) as their selection of a general-purpose, cloud computing platform for his or her purposes and workloads. However inside that very broad scope, there are key use circumstances the place cloud-native containers are particularly related:

Microservices: Containers are small, light-weight and moveable, which makes them the best selection for microservices architectures, the place containerized purposes are constructed of many, loosely coupled and independently deployable smaller providers. A hypervisor is used to supervise microservice operations when multiple digital machine is getting used on a pc.

DevOps: The mix of microservices as an structure and containers as a platform is a robust pairing and a standard basis for a lot of groups that embrace DevOps and improvement environments as the best way they select to deal with software program improvement.

Hybrid multicloud: As a result of you possibly can run containers persistently anyplace—throughout laptops, on-premises and in cloud environments—they’re a perfect underlying infrastructure and structure for cloud suppliers, in addition to any hybrid cloud and any hybrid cloud and multicloud eventualities during which organizations discover themselves working throughout a mixture of a number of public clouds and personal clouds together with an on-premises knowledge heart.

Serverless: Serverless frees up cloud-native builders who’re engaged on creating apps from having to consider server calls for and constraints, that are saved within the background. A significant benefit of the serverless methodology is that it promotes the required psychological focus {that a} developer wants whereas constructing apps, with out overwhelming the developer with myriad particulars.

Associated use circumstances and options

Containers, containerization or container orchestration additionally issue into the next associated options:

Software modernizing and migration: Some of the widespread approaches to utility modernization is to first optimize and containerize purposes in preparation for eventual migration to a cloud structure. This course of ought to happen earlier than the creation of the applying code, which is the supply code that comprises all directions for this utility.

Separate containers: Separate containers have come into fashionable use as a result of they help customers of microservices so nicely. As their identify signifies, separate containers are primarily used to assist preserve microservices higher organized by permitting customers to maintain completely different elements of a “crowded” container inside a number of, partitioned containers. Separate containers are additionally seen as growing effectivity of operations by making vital updates fast and straightforward.

Multi-tenancy: Multi-tenancy is its personal structure system, structured round a system of customers (referred to as tenants) who’re all working a single utility inside a shared surroundings. Though some customization choices could also be obtainable in a multi-tenancy system, these choices are purposefully restricted to maintain the system easy and straightforward to function. Containers work nicely in managing multi-tenancy deployments as a result of a number of apps may be run on a single host.

Container varieties

There are two primary varieties of containers, and every serves a unique group of container applied sciences:

System containers

Also called “working system containers,” system containers allow you to run many various processes concurrently. System containers are perfect for managing conventional apps and dealing with monolithic purposes which can be designed to carry out a single operate, as expressed by means of one logical executable file. These containers are additionally outfitted for internet hosting the structure, configurations and instruments vital for working VMs. As a default measure, system containers prohibit layered filesystems.

Container applied sciences served: BSD Jails, Linux VServer, LXC, OpenVZ, Solaris Zones

Software containers

Software containers aren’t almost as multi-talented as system containers, which may execute a number of processes concurrently. Software containers even carry that identify as a result of they’re supposed to serve one utility by finishing up one and just one executable motion. Software containers exist to bundle and function a single service, and they don’t help layered filesystems.

Container applied sciences served: Docker, Rocket

IBM and containers

Containerization requires some additional effort and equipping, however pays dividends. Container orchestration instruments can facilitate a neater container expertise to your manufacturing environments—regardless of the place your merchandise are of their respective lifecycles.

With container providers from IBM, constructed on open-source applied sciences like Kubernetes, you possibly can facilitate and speed up your journey to the cloud in a quick, secure and productive manner.

Discover Containers on IBM Cloud

Study extra about Purple Hat OpenShift on IBM Cloud

Discover IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service