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QuestionProgramming Question of the Week? Pin
megaadam18-Oct-18 21:38
professionalmegaadam18-Oct-18 21:38 
QuestionRe: Programming Question of the Week? Pin
lopatir18-Oct-18 22:14
lopatir18-Oct-18 22:14 
AnswerRe: Programming Question of the Week? Pin
megaadam18-Oct-18 22:21
professionalmegaadam18-Oct-18 22:21 
GeneralWTH Is Docker?? Pin
Kevin Marois18-Oct-18 12:00
professionalKevin Marois18-Oct-18 12:00 
GeneralRe: WTH Is Docker?? Pin
Mycroft Holmes18-Oct-18 12:09
professionalMycroft Holmes18-Oct-18 12:09 
GeneralRe: WTH Is Docker?? Pin
Vincent Maverick Durano18-Oct-18 12:19
professionalVincent Maverick Durano18-Oct-18 12:19 
GeneralRe: WTH Is Docker?? Pin
PIEBALDconsult18-Oct-18 13:17
mvePIEBALDconsult18-Oct-18 13:17 
GeneralRe: WTH Is Docker?? PinPopular
Marc Clifton18-Oct-18 13:52
mvaMarc Clifton18-Oct-18 13:52 
An attempt at a short answer:

It's a "container" that specifies the OS and the applications that you want to run. As such, it's much easier, faster, and much much smaller to ship the "container" rather than an entire VM image, because all you're really "shipping" is the specification for what the container contains. Hence the whale with a bunch of containers on its back logo. Why? Because on the first run, when you "launch" the container, it will download all the pieces that you specified and run various configuration/setup scripts. When it's done, you now have a VM with the specified OS and applications that you can "talk to", as in, many Docker apps are servers -- there's no UI.

Longer version:

It makes it really easy to test stuff, because you can reset the VM back to its original state at any time. From my very limited experience, it works best with Linux and Linux apps because Linux natively doesn't include all the UI bloat that Windows does.

You don't interface with the apps in a container through a UI, you interface with them through a terminal app like PuTTY or WinSCP for file management, or if the apps in the container provide a web API, you go that route.

And the cool thing is, the applications running in the container are completely isolated from the host machine. Sure, something malicious might blow away the VM, but your host machine is safe. Furthermore, unless you do something really dumb, the only apps that run in the container are the ones specified in the container configuration file -- so you know what you're putting into it.

And the really really cool thing is that once the container is initialized, you can launch multiple instances of the VM fast and isolated from each other.

Because scripting languages like Python are easily specified as "I want to install Python version x.xx", it makes it really easy to create containers with custom code. And, one of the reasons I think Microsoft has put a lot of effort into getting some of its servers and frameworks to run under Linux is because they are easily containerized with the Linux OS.

But Docker for Windows truly sucks, the last time I tried it.

My article might help too, if you want an example of how this stuff is set up to do something useful and talk to Windows. Of course there are other really good articles on CP too regarding Docker.

Hope that helps!
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GeneralRe: WTH Is Docker?? Pin
Nathan Minier19-Oct-18 1:37
professionalNathan Minier19-Oct-18 1:37 
GeneralRe: WTH Is Docker?? Pin
dandy7219-Oct-18 4:22
dandy7219-Oct-18 4:22 
GeneralRe: WTH Is Docker?? Pin
kalberts19-Oct-18 10:51
kalberts19-Oct-18 10:51 
GeneralRe: WTH Is Docker?? Pin
dandy7219-Oct-18 17:20
dandy7219-Oct-18 17:20 
AnswerRe: WTH Is Docker?? Pin
lopatir18-Oct-18 16:09
lopatir18-Oct-18 16:09 
GeneralRe: WTH Is Docker?? Pin
Rajesh R Subramanian18-Oct-18 19:22
professionalRajesh R Subramanian18-Oct-18 19:22 
GeneralRe: WTH Is Docker?? Pin
Charlie brown 71118-Oct-18 19:16
Charlie brown 71118-Oct-18 19:16 
GeneralRe: WTH Is Docker?? Pin
Dar Brett18-Oct-18 19:39
Dar Brett18-Oct-18 19:39 
GeneralRe: WTH Is Docker?? Pin
Richard MacCutchan18-Oct-18 21:21
mveRichard MacCutchan18-Oct-18 21:21 
GeneralRe: WTH Is Docker?? Pin
Eytukan18-Oct-18 23:32
Eytukan18-Oct-18 23:32 
GeneralRe: WTH Is Docker?? Pin
Sander Rossel18-Oct-18 23:56
professionalSander Rossel18-Oct-18 23:56 
GeneralRe: WTH Is Docker?? Pin
den2k8819-Oct-18 2:52
professionalden2k8819-Oct-18 2:52 
GeneralRe: WTH Is Docker?? Pin
Sander Rossel19-Oct-18 3:14
professionalSander Rossel19-Oct-18 3:14 
GeneralRe: WTH Is Docker?? Pin
den2k8819-Oct-18 3:55
professionalden2k8819-Oct-18 3:55 
GeneralIt looks like astronomers found the Lights of Zetar Pin
Marc Clifton18-Oct-18 10:57
mvaMarc Clifton18-Oct-18 10:57 
GeneralRe: It looks like astronomers found the Lights of Zetar Pin
CodeWraith18-Oct-18 21:57
CodeWraith18-Oct-18 21:57 
GeneralIs Windows 10 Build 1803 causing very strange directory size property readings? Pin
swampwiz18-Oct-18 9:20
swampwiz18-Oct-18 9:20 

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