Docker (software)

Docker is an open-source project that automates the deployment of applications inside software containers, by providing an additional layer of abstraction and automation of operating-system-level virtualization on Linux.[5] Docker uses the resource isolation features of the Linux kernel such as cgroups and kernel namespaces, and a union-capable file system such as aufs and others[6] to allow independent “containers” to run within a single Linux instance, avoiding the overhead of starting and maintaining virtual machines.[7]

The Linux kernel’s support for namespaces mostly[8] isolates an application’s view of the operating environment, including process trees, network, user IDs and mounted file systems, while the kernel’s cgroups provide resource limiting, including the CPU, memory, block I/O and network. Since version 0.9, Docker includes the libcontainer library as its own way to directly use virtualization facilities provided by the Linux kernel, in addition to using abstracted virtualization interfaces via libvirt, LXC (Linux Containers) and systemd-nspawn.

As actions are done to a Docker base image, union file system layers are created and documented, such that each layer fully describes how to recreate an action. This strategy enables Docker’s lightweight images, as only layer updates need to be propagated (compared to full VMs, for example).

According to industry analyst firm 451 Research, “Docker is a tool that can package an application and its dependencies in a virtual container that can run on any Linux server. This helps enable flexibility and portability on where the application can run, whether on premises, public cloud, private cloud, bare metal, etc.”

Ben Golub is a serial entrepreneur and start-up CEO, and the current CEO of Docker, the commercial entity behind Docker.io. Docker, which enables developers to pack, ship, and deploy any application as a lightweight container, is one of the fastest growing open source projects.

Prior to Docker, Golub was CEO of Gluster, the open source, scale out storage company, which was successfully acquired by Red Hat in 2011.

Prior to Gluster, Golub was CEO of social media pioneer Plaxo, which was acquired by Comcast in 2008.

Prior to Plaxo, Golub spent eight years at VeriSign, Inc., serving as Chief Marketing Officer, as Senior Vice President of the security and payments business, and as General Manager of VeriSign’s managed security services business. In these roles, Ben managed worldwide sales, marketing, product development, support, operations, and business development activities.

Golub holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a Masters in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, and a B.A. in Public Policy from Princeton University.