Technology
What is Containers (software)?
Software containers package an app together with everything it needs to run — code, libraries, and settings — into one portable unit. This lets the app run reliably anywhere, from a developer's laptop to the cloud, without 'it works on my machine' problems.
See it, don’t just read it.
Watch a 2-minute lesson with voice + animation that explains containers (software).
Key things to understand
- 1They bundle an app with all its dependencies.
- 2They run consistently across different environments.
- 3They're lighter than full virtual machines.
- 4Docker and Kubernetes are popular container tools.
Frequently asked questions
- What are software containers?
- Portable packages that bundle an app with everything it needs, so it runs the same anywhere.
- How are containers different from virtual machines?
- Containers share the host's operating system, making them lighter and faster to start than full VMs.
- What is Docker?
- A popular platform for building and running containers.