If I told you that your app was in jail, you might wonder what it did wrong and why it was being punished. You may be bewildered unless you’re familiar with software containers, also known as virtualization engines, virtual private servers (VPS), or, yes, jails.
Software containers are a way of separating an application from the operating system and the physical infrastructure it uses to connect to the network. The method uses operating system-level virtualization, which enables the OS kernel to allocate multiple isolated user space instances, instead of just one.
Once the exclusive domain of UNIX admins, software containers grew in popularity as organizations sought a way to reduce OS overhead on virtual servers. More recent container incarnations include Linux Kernel Containment (LXC) and Docker. In fact, Docker is built on top of LXC and adds image management and deployment assistance for virtualizing applications.
There are many other software containment methods in use today, enabling advances in a number of areas including mobility, BYOD and the cloud. As long as organizations continue to gravitate toward powerful apps deployed securely and economically, virtualization will have a seat at the table. For a more detailed look at this advantageous technology, see my recent Network World article, “Software Containers: Used More Frequently than Most Realize.”
