Chapter 1: Introduction to Containerization
Chapter 1 of 15
Chapter 1: Introduction to Containerization
1.1 What is Containerization?
Containerization packages applications with all dependencies into lightweight, portable containers that run consistently across different environments.
Container Benefits:
- Consistency: Same environment everywhere
- Isolation: Applications don't interfere with each other
- Portability: Run on any platform supporting containers
- Efficiency: Lightweight compared to virtual machines
- Scalability: Easy to scale up or down
1.2 Containers vs Virtual Machines
Understanding the difference helps choose the right technology.
Virtual Machines:
- Full operating system per VM
- Heavier resource usage
- Slower startup times
- More isolation
Containers:
- Share host OS kernel
- Lightweight and fast
- Quick startup times
- Less isolation but sufficient for most apps
1.3 Container Use Cases
Containers are ideal for various scenarios.
- Microservices architecture
- CI/CD pipelines
- Development environments
- Cloud-native applications
- Legacy application modernization