What are containers?

Containers are a type of virtualization technology that allows developers to package up an application and its dependencies into a single container, which can be easily moved between different environments. Containers provide a consistent environment for the application to run in, regardless of the underlying infrastructure. They are lightweight and efficient, as they share the host operating system kernel and do not require a full virtual machine (VM). Popular containerization platforms include Docker and Kubernetes.

Containers offer a more lightweight and efficient alternative to VMs. In essence, a container is a self-contained, portable, and executable package that contains all the necessary components to run specific software, such as the code, runtime, libraries, environment variables, and configuration files. Because containers provide a consistent environment for the application to run in, they are well suited for use in various environments, including...