Containerization

Containerization is the practice of packaging software code and dependencies into isolated containers. Containers allow applications to run quickly and reliably from one computing environment to another.

Unlike virtual machines, containers do not bundle a full operating system. Only libraries and settings required to make the software work are needed. This makes containers extremely lightweight, portable, and efficient. For example, a containerized version of a web application could be built with all the necessary components like the programming language runtime, web server, and database. This container can then run on any Linux machine without compatibility issues. Multiple containers can run isolated from each other on the same host. This allows developers to reliably deploy and scale applications across many servers. Overall, containerization improves software delivery and infrastructure efficiency by encapsulating pieces of applications into portable units that are easy to build, test, and deploy.