I wrote something a few years ago about why docker matters: https://circleci.com/blog/it-really-is-the-future/ https://circleci.com/blog/it-really-is-the-future

I wrote something a few years ago about why docker matters: https://circleci.com/blog/it-really-is-the-future/ https://circleci.com/blog/it-really-is-the-future/ (excuse the slightly flippant tone). I think the answer to why it succeeded instead of the others is that it solved those problems (in particular the container format and the UX around it) much better than the alternatives.