Basic Knowledge of DevOps Using Containerization and Docker (1)

Docker and DevOps: Develop stateful applications and deploy them in Docker. Containerization is a technology that makes DevOps practices easier to follow.

DevOps is all the rage in the IT industry. Wikipedia states that DevOps is a set of practices that combines software development (Dev) and information technology maintenance (Ops) to shorten the system development life cycle and provide high-quality continuous delivery. The main reason for the popularity of DevOps is that it enables companies to develop and improve products faster than traditional software development methods.

As our work environment changes faster and faster, the demand for rapid delivery and repair in the software development market is rising. Therefore, the need to produce high-quality output in a short period of time and limited late errors has spawned DevOps.

You may be interested in: Docker and DevOps: develop and deploy stateful applications in Docker

Just as we have discussed the importance of shifting to DevOps software development methods, we now change the conversation to containerization, which is an easy-to-use technology that is often used to make DevOps implementation smoother and more convenient. Containerization is a technology that makes DevOps practices easier to follow. But what exactly is containerization? Let's find out!

What is containerization?
Containerization is the process of packaging an application and its required libraries, frameworks, and configuration files so that it can run efficiently in various computing environments. In simple terms, containerization is the encapsulation of the application and its required environment.

Recently, it has overcome the challenges posed by running virtual machines and has gained wide attention. The virtual machine simulates the entire operating system inside the host operating system, and requires a fixed proportion of hardware allocation to run all processes of the operating system. Therefore, due to a large overhead, this results in unnecessary waste of computing resources.

At the same time, setting up virtual machines takes time, and the process of setting up specific applications in each virtual machine also takes time. This results in spending a lot of time and effort only in setting up the environment. The containerization popularized by the open source project "Docker" solves these problems, and improves the portability by packaging all the necessary dependencies with the software in a portable image file.

Let's delve deeper into containerization, its benefits, how it works, how to choose containerization tools, and how it outperforms the use of virtual machines (VMs).

Some popular container providers are as follows:

Linux containers, such as LXC and LCD
Docker
Windows Server container
What is Docker?
Docker has become a popular term in the IT industry. Docker can be defined as an open source software platform that provides a simplified method for building, testing, protecting, and deploying applications in containers. Docker encourages software developers to collaborate with cloud, Linux, and Windows operating systems to deliver services easily and quickly.

Docker is a platform that provides containerization. It allows the application and its dependencies to be packaged into a container, which helps to simplify development and accelerate software deployment. It eliminates the need to replicate the local environment on every machine that should test the solution, thereby helping to maximize output, thereby saving precious time and effort that will be used for further development .

Dockerfile can be quickly transferred and tested among staff. Docker also simplifies the process of container image management and quickly changes the way we develop and test applications on a large scale.

Containerization-implementing DevOps
Docker has popularized the concept of containerization. Applications in Docker containers have the ability to run on multiple operating systems and cloud environments (such as Amazon ECS, etc.). No technical or supplier limitations.

Let us understand the need to implement DevOps using containerization.

Initially, the required software development, testing, deployment and supervision are carried out in stages, and the completion of one stage will lead to the beginning of another stage.

Like Alibaba Cloud ECS, DevOps and Docker image management technologies make it easy for software developers to perform IT operations, share software, and collaborate with each other, and increase productivity. In addition to encouraging developers to work together, they have successfully eliminated conflicts between different work environments that previously affected applications. In simple terms, containers are dynamic, which enables IT professionals to build, test, and deploy pipelines without complexity, while bridging the gap between infrastructure and operating system releases, thereby forming a DevOps culture.

Software developers can benefit from containers in the following ways:

You can change the environment of the container for better production deployment.
Quickly start and easily access operating system resources.
Unlike traditional systems, they provide enough space for applications to fit a machine.
Provides agility for DevOps, which can help you easily switch between multiple frameworks.
Helps to run workflows more efficiently.
The following explains the steps to follow to successfully implement containerization using Docker:

Developers should ensure that the code is in a repository, such as Docker Hub.
The code should compile correctly.
Make sure to pack it properly.
Ensure that all plug-in requirements and dependencies are met.
Use Docker to create container images.
Transfer it to any environment you choose.
For ease of deployment, use clouds such as Rackspace, AWS, and Azure.
Benefits of using containers
Many companies choose containerization to bring various benefits. The following is a list of advantages that you will enjoy using containerized technology:

1. DevOps friendly
Containerization packages applications and their environment dependencies together to ensure that applications developed in one environment can work in another environment. This helps developers and testers work together on the application, which is exactly what DevOps culture is all about.

2. Multi-cloud platform
Containers can run on multiple cloud platforms such as GCS, Amazon ECS (Elastic Container Service) and Amazon DevOps Server.

3. Born to be portable
The container is easy to carry. Container images can be easily deployed to new systems and then shared as files.

4. Faster scalability
Since the environment is packaged in isolated containers, it can be scaled faster, which is very helpful for distributed applications.

5. No need for a separate operating system
In a VM system, the host operating system of the bare-metal server is different from the VM. On the contrary, in the container, the Docker image can utilize the kernel of the host OS of the bare metal physical server. Therefore, containers have higher work efficiency than virtual machines.

6. Maximize the use of resources
Containerization can maximize the use of computing resources such as memory and CPU, and use much less resources than VMs.

7. Quick update of the application
With rapid application updates, delivery occurs in less time, making the platform easier to perform more system development. The machine can change resources without restarting.

With the automatic scaling of containers, CPU utilization and machine memory optimization can be done taking into account the current load. And unlike the expansion of virtual machines, resource limits can be modified without restarting the computer.

8. Simplified security updates
Because the container provides process isolation, it becomes more convenient to maintain application security.

9. Value for money
In terms of supporting multiple containers on a single infrastructure, containerization is advantageous. Therefore, despite investments in tools, CPUs, memory, and storage, it is still a cost-effective solution for many companies.

A complete DevOps workflow with implementation containers can benefit software development teams in the following ways:

It provides the ability to automatically perform tests at each step to detect errors, so there is less chance of defects in the final product.
Deliver features and changes faster and more easily.
The nature of the software is more user-friendly than VM-based solutions.
Reliable and changeable environment.
Promote collaboration and transparency among team members.
Essentially cost-effective.
Ensure proper use of resources and reduce waste.
Please read Basic Knowledge of DevOps Using Containerization and Docker (2)  to get the following detailed content.