Application use continues to grow, especially with the existence of Cloud Computing technology. Companies are competing to create applications to be more flexible in working or communicating with customers.
Do you know about Virtual Machines? In the past, all companies or people who wanted to run the application used a Virtual Machine.
However, with Virtual Machine technology, this will consume the resources used.
Because the concept of the Virtual Machine itself is to run on top of the OS and make the latest OS for the Virtual Machine, which will burden the performance of the computing device itself.
However, with a new technology called Container, Virtual Machines will be replaced.
Because the existence of this Container technology itself allows Developers to create applications and deploy them using the OS on the computer itself. With that, it will reduce considerable resources and can also run lightly.
Intro: Container
Currently, applications use continues to grow, especially with the existence of Cloud Computing technology. Companies are competing to create applications to be more flexible in working or communicating with customers.
Do you know about Virtual Machines? In the past, all companies or people who wanted to run the application used a Virtual Machine.
However, with Virtual Machine technology, this will consume the resources used.
Because the concept of the Virtual Machine itself is to run on top of the OS and make the latest OS for the Virtual Machine, which will burden the performance of the computing device itself.
However, with a new technology called Container, Virtual Machines will be replaced. Because the existence of this
Container technology itself allows Developers to create applications and deploy them using the OS on the computer itself. With that, it will reduce ample resources and can also run lightly.
Docker
In Container technology, there is a Container called Docker. Docker is an open-source application that allows you to create, test and deploy applications quickly. Using Docker, you can quickly deploy and scale applications to any environment.
Docker is one of the solutions to problems often experienced by developers to develop applications so that they can run flexibly in various environments.
The capabilities possessed by Docker are being able to run multiple applications with different configurations, even on the same device.
Virtual Machine vs Container
In virtualization, there are the terms VM (Virtual Machine) and Container. In principle, both use the same virtualization scheme, but there are differences between the two terms.
Here are some fundamental differences between VM and Container :
1. Resources
A virtual machine (VM) utilizes all of the available hardware resources of the host, essentially running two operating systems simultaneously, which is like having a computer within a computer.
However, containers are seen as applications and only use minimal resources from the host, making their operation more efficient, similar to running a regular application.
2. Arnel
A virtual machine operates with a separate kernel, which becomes an added burden for the host system, consuming a significant amount of resources.
In contrast, Docker divides its kernel into individual containers, making it more efficient and less demanding on the host system’s resources.
3. Allocation
Virtual machines have a set of specifications allocated to them, for example, VM A. In this case, VM B cannot use the same specifications as VM A.
On the other hand, Docker containers are designed to be resource efficient and allow for resource sharing. If container B is idle, container A can use B’s resources, and vice versa. Docker containers are designed to provide the most efficient use of system resources.
4. Virtualization
The article “Docker vs VM: Key Differences You Should Know” on FreeCodeCamp outlines the major differences between using Docker and a Virtual Machine (VM). One of the key differences is the utilization of resources. A Virtual Machine uses all available hardware resources on the host, while a Docker container, similar to an application, only uses a small portion of the host’s resources.
Another point of differentiation is the use of the kernel. A VM has a separate kernel, which can be taxing on the host, while Docker utilizes the existing host kernel and shares it among containers, making it more efficient.
In terms of resource allocation, a Virtual Machine’s specifications are set and cannot be utilized by another VM. However, with Docker, idle containers can share resources, leading to better resource utilization within the system.
5. Size
A Docker image is lightweight and is typically in the order of kilobytes. A Docker image denotes the artifact containing the application, its associated dependencies, and configuration. A running instance of the Docker image is called a container.
A VM instance can be as large as a few gigabytes or even terabytes.
6. Performance
In terms of performance, Docker containers provide near-native performance. Because they are lightweight, you can start them in a few milliseconds.
Starting a VM is equivalent to setting up a standalone machine inside your computer. It can take as long as a few minutes to start a VM instance.
7. Security
Docker containers run on top of the host operating system. Therefore, if the host OS is susceptible to security vulnerabilities, so are the Docker containers.
Virtual machines, on the other hand, boot up their own operating system, and are more secure. Recall: each virtual machine is a fully blown machine running inside another.
If you have stringent security constraints to be met for sensitive applications, you should consider using a virtual machine instead.
8. Portability
Another relevant Docker vs Virtual Machine difference is about portability: VMs are isolated from their OS, and so they are not ported across multiple platforms without incurring compatibility issues.
At the development level, if an application is to be tested on different platforms, then Docker containers must be considered.
Docker container packages are self-contained and can run applications in any environment, and since they don’t need a guest OS, they can be easily ported across different platforms.
Docker containers can be easily deployed in servers since containers being lightweight can be started and stopped in very less time compared to virtual machines.