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To run successfully, software applications used in today’s business environment normally need a staggering amount of dependencies, such as various libraries, packages, frameworks, and other software components. Needless to mention that running several applications on one operating system often causes a lot of headaches for employees. This latter issue was eliminated by the use of virtual machines, which allow the running of multiple applications on the same hardware. Virtual machines isolate the applications and their dependencies to eliminate the conflicts between them. However, virtual machines have their share of problems. They utilize more space and are unable to provide solutions for continuous updates, integrations, delivery, and portability of the software. These challenges led to a huge breakthrough in the IT industry, the emergence of Docker and containerization.
What is Docker?
Running software applications in containers is justifiably considered to be one of the most groundbreaking solutions in the modern IT world. At the core of this technology lies Docker, an open-source platform allowing to develop, ship, and run apps in an isolated lightweight environment called a container. In other words, Docker packages software into a standardized unit, a container, which includes the libraries, code, system tools, runtime, and whatever else the application needs to work properly. The containers can be used privately or publicly shared via Docker Hub. Unlike virtual machines, Docker delivers speed, portability, nimbleness, and resource reductions that rapidly evolving businesses require.
What are the benefits of Docker?
Docker ensures the effective use of system resources
If compared to virtual machines, Docker containers are smaller in size and need less memory. They can be started up and shut down faster as well. Lastly, one can run multiple containers simultaneously on a single host. All of this results in better performance at less cost, which makes Docker a budget-friendly solution for your business.
Docker ensures rapid application deployment
In order to respond to the demands of the market, enterprise software needs continuous updates and integrations to add new features. Docker containers allow the deployment of new software versions and updates easily and quickly, as they already include the minimal runtime requirements and dependencies of the application. Moreover, Docker provides the ability to keep track of and maintain different software versions, so the company can roll back to the previous version at any time if need be.
Docker allows the portability of the application across machines
Since Docker containers incorporate all the components that an application needs to run successfully, it makes it easy to seamlessly transfer applications to a different environment. The container can be moved to another machine that has Docker installed, and it will function there in exactly the same way, without conflicting dependencies and compatibility issues.
Docker offers isolation and security
Docker containers are totally independent of each other. This means that the application dependencies and settings encapsulated within one container will not have any impact on other containers or installations on your machine. Thus, you can create various containers for the application components (if they are loosely connected) that can be modified and maintained by various teams. Or you can even run multiple containers with different applications on one server, and be sure that they will perform without conflicts.
To sum it all up, Docker has become a revolutionary leap forward in application development and deployment. Because the platform solves major software delivery and deployment issues, it is a panacea for companies that seek a cost-effective and resource-efficient solution for their business software. These days, more and more software providers share images of their products on Docker Hub to make the installation of their applications easier. The EspoCRM image is also available in Docker Hub and can be installed with just a few clicks. If EspoCRM deployment in a Docker container seems to be a smart solution for your company, feel free to test-drive it. Take advantage of containerized applications and open up new opportunities for your business!