What are the uses of Docker from a sysadmin perspective?
By Andrew Adams •
I am trying to wrap my head around the uses of Docker (compared to VMs). I understand that it can greatly improve software development, but I am not a developer. Im more on the sysadmin side of things.
I can grasp the concept of VMs as I can separate a web server from a file server hosted on one box with HyperV or VMware. But I am scratching my head as to the potential uses of using Docker since VMs provide isolation from each other.
Can any other sysadmins point out any uses for Docker or when you would pick Docker over VMs? Or is Docker strictly geared for software development and has no uses on the sysadmin side of IT?
Thanks
31 Answer
- You can run recent software, without having to upgrade the whole system.
- Application can coexist in the same VM even if they have incompatible software requirements
- You can easily rollback to a previous version if needed.
- With container orchestration (Kubernetes or else) you can easily spread the load over several machines (and even data centers) for better response and reliability. In such schemes you can runs tens of different applications in the same group of VMs, and adjust their relative CPU usage.
However:
- To some extent applications have to be container-aware, putting your traditional monolithic app in a container is not a good idea.
- Closely look at the licensing terms of your software. Proprietary software and containers don't mix too well.
