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Online Courses
Container Security
HomeAPI Penetration Testing CourseMalware AnalysisAPI AuthenticationSSDLCIS Auditing, Controls and AssuranceCyber Incident ResponseSecurity of the PipelineSecurity in the PipelineSecurity in the PipelineContainer SecurityInfrastructure as CodeCCNA 200-301Blockchain SecurityCyber Threat Hunting
  • Introduction
  • Intro to Containerisation
    • What is Containerization
    • Introducing Docker
    • The History of Docker
    • The Benefits & Features of Docker
    • How does Containerisation Work?
  • Docker
    • Introduction
    • Basic Docker Syntax
    • Running Your First Container
    • Intro to Dockerfiles
    • Intro to Docker Compose
    • Intro to the Docker Socket
  • Intro to Kubernetes
    • Introduction
    • Kubernetes 101
    • Kubernetes Architecture
    • Kubernetes Landscape
    • Kubernetes Configuration
    • Kubectl
    • Kubernetes & DevSecOps
  • Container Vulnerabilities
    • Container Vulnerabilities 101
    • Vulnerability 1: Privileged Containers (Capabilities)
    • Vulnerability 2: Escaping via Exposed Docker Daemon
    • Vulnerability 3: Remote Code Execution via Exposed Docker Daemon
    • Vulnerability 4: Abusing Namespaces
  • Container Hardening
    • Protecting the Docker Daemon
    • Implementing Control Groups
    • Preventing "Over-Privileged" Containers
    • Seccomp & AppArmor 101
    • Reviewing Docker Images
    • Compliance & Benchmarking
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  1. Intro to Containerisation

The Benefits & Features of Docker

PreviousThe History of DockerNextHow does Containerisation Work?

Last updated 7 months ago

If it hasn’t been said enough, here is another attempt. Docker is an agile, convenient and extensive means of deploying an application. Let’s explore this in detail in the headings below.

Docker is Free

The Docker ecosystem is free to use and open-sourced. While business plans exist, you can completely download, use, create, run and share images.

Docker is Compatible

The Docker platform is compatible with Linux, macOS and Windows. Because of how containerisation works, if a device supports the Docker Engine, you can run any container, regardless of the application or dependencies.

Docker is Efficient & Minimal

Docker is an efficient way to isolate applications in comparison to alternatives such as virtual machines. This is because the Docker Engine runs and interacts with the host operating system, and containers do not run a fully-fledged operating system for each container. For example, containers can share a minimal operating system image, meaning you only need to store it once.

A minimal Ubuntu image is 100MB~ which can be stored once and used multiple times. Compare this to the Ubuntu server image, about 1GB after a fresh installation per VM.

ubuntu@thm:~$ docker image ls
REPOSITORY   TAG       IMAGE ID       CREATED       SIZE
ubuntu       latest    27941809078c   4 weeks ago   77.8MB
ubuntu@thm:~$

Docker is Easy to Get Started With

The Docker developer documentation is very well , with lots of articles, working examples and answered questions on the Internet. The chances are, if you want to do something in Docker, someone has already asked about or done it. The syntax to get started with Docker is easy to pick up. You can start your first container in no time (the fact that there are docker images for all sorts of applications already published helps.)

Docker is Easy to Share With Others

A significant benefit of Docker is its portability. Docker uses “images” to store instructions to dictate how the container should be built (just an instruction manual!).

These “images” can be exported, shared and uploaded to both public and private repositories such as DockerHub and GitHub. The “image” can be run by anything that supports the Docker engine, as long as the syntax is valid.

Docker is Minimal

These Docker images discussed above are minimal. You will often find many-core and luxurious tools and packages in a container that are missing. While this can look like a disadvantage, it, in fact, allows:

  • Containers to be built exactly how the developer wishes

  • Better security, knowing exactly what runs within a container, can reduce the risk of unnecessary packages becoming vulnerable and posing a security risk.

Docker is Cheaper to Run

Running containers is usually a cheaper option than running virtual machines. This is especially noticeable in cloud environments, where CPU, RAM, and Disk space are expensive.

For example, you can quite happily run a few containers on a single $5 cloud provider VPS, whereas you will not be able to run a virtual machine. This is due to the fact that:

  • Running virtual machines requires hardware that supports virtualisation, which is only found on costly tiers of a cloud provider (if at all!)

  • Virtual machines require lots of memory and disk space, as you are running a separate operating system on top of the physical machine.

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