We are trying to solve this problem with Flockport [1] so users can at least get to see and try apps without needing to install and configure tons of stuff and

We are trying to solve this problem with Flockport [1] so users can at least get to see and try apps without needing to install and configure tons of stuff and we use LXC containers which behave like lightweight VMs and provide an OS environment similar to a VM or a bare metal server that users are more familiar with. And this also allows us to package the stack and app in a single container.. With Docker apart from the app you have to deal with the additional complexity of a single app environment that is not an environment that most users are familiar with, for instance you need to launch all your apps in 'non daemon mode' (how many uses know how to do this, and why you would need it?) figure out how to deal with storage persistence, networking and 'linking containers' and things like logging, cron and ssh (there is no place for these in single app containers). Installing something as simple as Mysql with Docker is non trivial because of storage. So this adds a whole new layer of complexity on top of the app that's makes it completely unsuitable to package apps if simplicity and accessibility is the objective. You need to be a real expert to deal with this, much more than LXC containers or VMs. We have a guide on building a simple Wordpress stack from scratch with Docker [2] that gives readers an understanding of the level of complexity involved with Docker and what it seems to be designed for. It's not for end users and certainty not to making things simple. It would take a tenth of the effort to install Wordpress in a VM or LXC container. But its pointless to compare VMs or LXC containers to Docker, as Docker is intended for a completely different use case and that's what its users and advocates should highlight and push. We have packaged over 60 apps in LXC containers at Flockport and Ruby apps are by far the most complex to setup, usually requiring a complete build environment. PHP is the simplest both to install and troubleshoot, and usually just works. The Ruby apps like Redmine, Gitlab are more complex and Discourse is the toughest to get going. You need to be an expert to install it and an even bigger expert to run it so much so that I think unless you are a rails developer the only reliable way to use Discourse is to have the Discourse team manage it. [1] https://www.flockport.com https://www.flockport.com [2] https://www.flockport.com/a-beginners-guide-to-docker https://www.flockport.com/a-beginners-guide-to-docker