Docker and Virtualization

Docker

Docker uses containers.

Containers are a way to create lightweight, reproducible environments for processes to run.

Virtualization

Before discussing containers, it's important to understand virtualization:

What is Virtualization?

Virtualization requires the following components:

• Host Machine: This can be a local PC, a server in the cloud, or a server in a data center. A piece of hardware is needed.

• Required Resources: The host machine needs components that control how the hardware operates, such as CPU, Memory, and Hard Drive (I/O).

Virtualization Process

To start the process, we take small pieces of each of these hardware components and separate them into a distinct machine called a Virtual Machine (VM).

In a virtual machine, we run a complete operating system. This is commonly used in the cloud if you're deploying something to AWS or an EC2 instance.

Hypervisor

Virtual machines utilize a special type of program that can run and manage their lifecycle, called a Hypervisor.

The hypervisor is in charge of virtual machines, managing their lifecycle. Examples of hypervisors include VMWare and VirtualBox.

Containerization

Containerization creates a lightweight environment where processes can run on a host operating system. Containers share the same resources of the operating system but cannot access anything outside of their environment.

Docker manages the lifecycle of containers.

Installing Docker

To install Docker, use the following command:

brew install docker