Close
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Menu
eWEEK.com
Search
eWEEK.com
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • Cloud
    • Virtualization

    Why Docker Containers Matter, 6 Years After the Project First Started

    By
    SEAN MICHAEL KERNER
    -
    March 22, 2019
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      Docker 6

      Few, if any, 6-year-old technologies have done as much to change the way applications are built and deployed as Docker.

      Docker, the eponymous name of the container technology and the company behind it, celebrated its six-year anniversary on March 20. From its earliest days, even as just a 1-year-old effort back in 2014, there was no shortage of optimism and excitement about Docker. With the Docker model, applications are more portable and run inside of containers, which are isolated instances that provide a more agile approach for development and deployment. Docker also introduced the “dockerfile” packaging format, which defines how a container image should be built.

      The container model that Docker first introduced has evolved over the past six years and is now the cornerstone of the broader cloud-native space, which includes the open-source Kubernetes container orchestration system. In this eWEEK Data Points article, we look at some of the key facts about Docker and the cloud-native revolution it has inspired.

      Data Point No. 1: Docker is widely used

      Six years ago, Docker was a hobbyist technology, but that’s not the case in 2019.

      • Docker Inc. has more than 700 customers, including ADP, Liberty Mutual, PayPal and other large brands.
      • The market for containers is predicted to be $4.3 billion by 2022, according to 451 Research.
      • If you have done online banking, called a rideshare, received a paycheck or accessed your medical records, you are using Docker containers.

      Data Point No. 2:  Developers have led adoption

      Adoption of Docker has come from different areas, though since the beginning developers have been a core audience and advocate of the technology.

      • More than 2 million developers are using Docker today.
      • There have been more than 80 billion downloads of Docker.
      • There are more than 5.5 million “Dockerized” applications.
      • There are more than 25,000 open jobs in tech today that require Docker.

      Data Point No. 3: There are multiple free and commercial container tools

      While Docker started the modern container movement with the open-source Docker Engine, there are now multiple technologies and vendors in the space.

      The open-source Docker CE (Community Engine) provides a freely available container engine, and Docker EE (Enterprise Edition) provides a commercially supported platform that integrates additional capabilities for security, operations and workflow.

      Container interoperability across different implementations is enabled via the open-source Open Container Initiative (OCI) set of specifications.

      Data Point No. 4: Containered is now the core of Docker

      When the Docker project was started by founder Solomon Hykes in March 2013, the Docker Engine integrated the core components needed to run containers. In December 2016, Docker announced an effort to disaggregate the core Docker Engine, with the containerd open-source project becoming the container runtime.

      Containerd is part of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) and officially achieved the graduated project level on Feb. 28.

      Data Point No. 5: Kubernetes works with Docker

      Container orchestration is an approach that enables multiple containers to be operated at scale in a clustered model. Docker developed its own container orchestration system called Swarm, which is integrated into Docker CE and Docker EE.

      Since November 2017, Docker also supports the one-time rival Kubernetes container orchestration system as well, which is also a project hosted by the CNCF.

      Data Point No. 6: Docker is saving the world

      At the 2018 Dockercon conference in San Francisco, NASA engineers discussed the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission. DART is a spacecraft that will deploy a kinetic-impact technique to deflect an asteroid that could potentially end all life on Earth. At the core of DART is a software stack that is built using Docker.

      “Space is hard, and our software team wanted to make it easier for us,” Christopher Heistand, DART flight software lead, said.

      Sean Michael Kerner is a senior editor at eWEEK and InternetNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TechJournalist.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      CHRIS PREIMESBERGER - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

      CHRIS PREIMESBERGER - December 1, 2020 0
      Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

      EWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
      Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

      ZEUS KERRAVALA - November 18, 2020 0
      There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
      Read more
      Apple

      Why iPhone 12 Pro Makes Sense for...

      WAYNE RASH - November 26, 2020 0
      If you’ve been watching the Apple commercials for the past three weeks, you already know what the company thinks will happen if you buy...
      Read more
      eWeek


      Contact Us | About | Sitemap

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      Terms of Service | Privacy Notice | Advertise | California - Do Not Sell My Info

      © 2020 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×