Docker Image and Docker Container are both fundamental concepts in Docker, but they serve different purposes and have distinct characteristics:
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Docker Image:
- Definition: A Docker image is a lightweight, standalone, and executable package that contains everything needed to run a piece of software, including code, runtime, libraries, dependencies, and configuration files.
- Contents: Docker images are built from a Dockerfile, which contains instructions for creating the image layer by layer. Each layer represents a filesystem snapshot, and images are composed of multiple layers stacked on top of each other.
- Immutable: Docker images are immutable, meaning they are read-only and cannot be modified once built. Any changes made to an image result in the creation of a new image layer, preserving the integrity of the original image.
- Portability: Docker images are portable and can be shared and distributed across different environments and systems. They provide a consistent environment for running applications, regardless of the underlying infrastructure.
- Examples: Examples of Docker images include base images (e.g., Alpine Linux, Ubuntu), application images (e.g., NGINX, MySQL, Node.js), and custom images created by users for their specific applications.
- Definition: A Docker container is a runtime instance of a Docker image. It is a lightweight, isolated, and executable environment that encapsulates an application and its dependencies, running as a process on the host operating system.
- Instantiation: Containers are instantiated from Docker images using the docker run command or through container orchestration platforms like Docker Swarm or Kubernetes.
- Lifecycle: Containers have a lifecycle that includes creation, execution, pausing, stopping, and removal. Containers can be started, stopped, and restarted as needed, and multiple containers can run concurrently on the same host.
- Isolation: Containers provide process-level isolation, meaning each container runs as an isolated process with its own filesystem, network stack, and namespace, separate from other containers on the host.
- Stateful or Stateless: Containers can be stateful or stateless, depending on how they are designed and configured. Stateful containers may store data persistently within volumes or external storage, while stateless containers do not retain data between runs.
- Examples: Examples of Docker containers include running instances of web servers, databases, microservices, batch jobs, or any other application packaged as a Docker image.
In summary, Docker images are static, immutable blueprints for creating containers, while Docker containers are dynamic, runnable instances of images that execute as isolated processes on the host system. Images define the environment and configuration of an application, while containers encapsulate and execute the application within a runtime environment.