5 ms·

Can someone please explain what a container is? Googling 'container' doesn't seem to give me useful or relevant results.

chebucto 13y ago
I had the same question. I was eventually plopped here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_system-level_virtualization https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_system-level_virtual... "Operating system-level virtualization is a server virtualization method where the kernel of an operating system allows for multiple isolated user-space instances, instead of just one. Such instances (often called containers, VEs, VPSs or jails) may look and feel like a real server, from the point of view of its owner. On Unix systems, this technology can be thought of as an advanced implementation of the standard chroot mechanism. In addition to isolation mechanisms, the kernel often provides resource management features to limit the impact of one container's activities on the other containers."
- xemoka 13y ago
  A pretty good overview of the different types of virtualization (and non) is available on the SmartOS Wiki: http://wiki.smartos.org/display/DOC/SmartOS+Virtualization http://wiki.smartos.org/display/DOC/SmartOS+Virtualization
wmf 13y ago
https://www.google.com/search?q=container+based+virtualization https://www.google.com/search?q=container+based+virtualizati... http://lxc.sourceforge.net/ http://lxc.sourceforge.net/
srgseg 13y ago
This presentation on Docker and Containers explains it very well, and is well worth the read http://www.docker.io/about/ http://www.docker.io/about/
philips 13y ago
A Linux machine has the Kernel which deals with the hardware and then a filesystem with everything required to run applications. A container is a Linux machine without the Kernel. As an example: with containers you can run a database that needs a CentOS environment on the same physical machine that is running an application server that expects a Debian looking environment. All without the performance hit you would take from VMs.
- nzgrover 13y ago
  So... it's a chroot jail?
  - philips 13y ago
    In a way. However, you can run a full machine from init on down and fully isolate networking, process namespaces and resources like memory or CPU.
    - gonzo 13y ago
      Like VPS in FreeBSD 10
gojomo 13y ago
Indeed, while the name 'container' is apt and helpful for the analogy to standardized shipping-containers, is somewhat generic and has many collisions. Maybe it needs an extra distinguishing flourish for distinction? Kontainer? Softainer? DContainer?
- damncabbage 13y ago
  "LXC" (for LinuX Container) will get you what you're looking for.

chebucto 13y ago

I had the same question. I was eventually plopped here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_system-level_virtualization https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_system-level_virtual... "Operating system-level virtualization is a server virtualization method where the kernel of an operating system allows for multiple isolated user-space instances, instead of just one. Such instances (often called containers, VEs, VPSs or jails) may look and feel like a real server, from the point of view of its owner. On Unix systems, this technology can be thought of as an advanced implementation of the standard chroot mechanism. In addition to isolation mechanisms, the kernel often provides resource management features to limit the impact of one container's activities on the other containers."

xemoka 13y ago
A pretty good overview of the different types of virtualization (and non) is available on the SmartOS Wiki: http://wiki.smartos.org/display/DOC/SmartOS+Virtualization http://wiki.smartos.org/display/DOC/SmartOS+Virtualization

wmf 13y ago

https://www.google.com/search?q=container+based+virtualization https://www.google.com/search?q=container+based+virtualizati... http://lxc.sourceforge.net/ http://lxc.sourceforge.net/

srgseg 13y ago

This presentation on Docker and Containers explains it very well, and is well worth the read http://www.docker.io/about/ http://www.docker.io/about/

philips 13y ago

A Linux machine has the Kernel which deals with the hardware and then a filesystem with everything required to run applications. A container is a Linux machine without the Kernel. As an example: with containers you can run a database that needs a CentOS environment on the same physical machine that is running an application server that expects a Debian looking environment. All without the performance hit you would take from VMs.

nzgrover 13y ago
So... it's a chroot jail?
- philips 13y ago
  In a way. However, you can run a full machine from init on down and fully isolate networking, process namespaces and resources like memory or CPU.
  - gonzo 13y ago
    Like VPS in FreeBSD 10

gojomo 13y ago

Indeed, while the name 'container' is apt and helpful for the analogy to standardized shipping-containers, is somewhat generic and has many collisions. Maybe it needs an extra distinguishing flourish for distinction? Kontainer? Softainer? DContainer?

damncabbage 13y ago
"LXC" (for LinuX Container) will get you what you're looking for.