Uses of Docker - When to Use Docker?
Docker has earned its reputation because of its flexibility, portability and easy to run efficiently with its lightweight. Docker, the blue-eyed boy in the software world, has caught st the developers' heart soon after its inception. A developer should know when to use Docker and when to avoid it.
If any application addresses one or more of the following categories, Docker may be a good choice to use.
1. An approach to new technologies:
Docker's ability to provide an isolated and disposable environment paves the way for a new tool to act fast without spending time on installation and configuration. Interestingly, already installed and configured Docker images are found in several projects. It means if one looks for a distributed tracing system like Zipkin, he can find a setup on localhost simply by activating,
sudo docker run -d -p 9411:9411 openzipkin/Zipkin
2. Examine the fundamental use cases:
The application needs to be fundamentally standard enough to work with a default Docker image just by extracting images from Docker hub. Thus it provides a good solution for a developer to work with. For example, if anyone wants to set up a Microsoft server or he wants to host a website using either a LAMP stack or a reverse proxy, often enjoys the support of images available on DockerHub. If the application is compatible with the default configuration in these images, it can save a lot of time by sourcing the images from the Dockerhub.
3. A unique App isolation format:
The developer may run multiple applications on one server. It needs to restore the components of each application in distinctive containers. Eventually, it shields the process from many problems with effective dependency management.
4. Interactive with an ingenious Developer team:
Developers in a team often work with a spectrum of setups. Docker offers a convenient way for them to engage in local development environments that suits the production environment.
When Not to Use Docker?
Docker has earned immense popularity in the domain of software development. But it is not an elixir to solve all problems. It has its own lacunas too.
1. A complicated app without having sysadmin makes the operation a long drawn process to build, edit and to set up communication between multiple containers on multiple servers.
2. Performance may turn critical to the application because of Docker containers' inability to emulate a full operating system.
3. Docker is not always free from upgrade hassles, since it is still an evolving new technology.
4. Docker’s containerization approach may also cause security deficiency to the applications which are complicated in nature.
5. Docker shows a lacuna while testing the same application on different operating systems.
6. Docker Swarm is not skilled enough as a stand-alone cluster manager.
Conclusion
Developers should not yield to the temptation to containerize every application that they develop. It needs careful research before inducting an application into a Docker platform. Docker is no alternative to systems engineering or configuration management .
Visit our following sections of Docker tutorial: