What is Docker?

Docker is a tool that is used to create, deploy, and run applications by using containers. Containers have all the required dependencies to run an application so that the application will have all of the files required for it to run properly in an isolated environment. For example, the user has two different applications that use Python. Application 1 needs v2.7 and application 2 requires v3 to avoid having conflicts the applications can be run in a container.

Container vs Virtual Machine: What are the differences?

Containers and virtual machines are similar in ways but are not the same. Containers share the OS and run on the same machine using it’s own isolated processes. Virtual machines run on a single machine but require their own OS to run which means that deploying multiple isolated virtual machines requires running multiple copies of an OS. Due to virtual machines running multiple copies of an OS the hard drive space and memory needed to support multiple instances is greater than that of running containers. Containers end up taking less space and are easier to deploy and redeploy when updates are needed.