Using Docker for your website - what are the benefits it offers

Due to previously unrecognized vulnerabilities, a secure separation between software and operating system is only possible to a limited extent. Therefore, virtualizing environments as an additional layer of security has become increasingly popular. One of the most popular solutions for this task for about a decade now is Docker, which has been increasingly established in recent years due to its numerous advantages and fewer disadvantages - both as a programming environment and as Website Hosting with Docker for isolation from other users and applications, and unauthorized data sharing. In an extended sense, Docker is a sandbox that abstracts a single software or an entire runtime environment from the operating system.

What is Docker as a program environment?

The Docker environment is a relatively new development - the first public version dates back to March 2013 and contained just over 1000 lines of code. The software is based on various methods used under Linux to categorize users and programs into different groups and manage them in isolation from the running system. This includes creating a fixed, secure, and inaccessible from the outside memory area that is not vulnerable to issues such as buffer overflow or reading and manipulating protected data.

For users and developers, Docker offers numerous advantages. The separation between the operating system and the runtime environment allows programs to be universally provided as closed containers. They are no longer directly dependent on the OS and available libraries, as Docker uses its own compatible versions of the software and manages them separately. Each installation of an application is therefore initially independent of the host and can be resolved in its dependencies, installed individually and separately from the operating system.

What is the difference between Docker and alternative virtualizations?

A virtualisation is typically used to create a functional, autonomous runtime environment independent of the real hardware and provide it to a single program, a cluster of software, or a complete operating system. Docker, following this concept, does not offer virtualisation but operates at the application level and isolates running processes in a closed container from their environment. It resolves dependencies such as additional software and libraries and restricts direct access rights to other instances and hardware. However, foreign programs and libraries serve Docker as a complement or alternative to the base system and do not - unlike virtualisation - provide a completely independent environment.

Overall, Docker operates at a lower level of isolation than full virtualisations, as seen in VPS hosting for individual and separated operating systems. Instead, it primarily forms a separate runtime for running programs and secondarily a method to manage dependencies and resolve compatibility issues with software at the user level. Technically, it is a continuously running service (daemon) that acts as a server for the individual applications and serves as an interface between system-relevant processes and those started by a user.

For more information on the differences, see: Virtualisation or Container

Is Docker suitable for website hosting?

Using Docker as a container for website hosting is definitely a step forward in IT security and simplifies program management and updates. Its use on a virtual or dedicated server poses no issues for experienced IT professionals and only requires a moderate amount of work, but may be limited or not possible on a Managed Server or simple web hosting. Installing Docker necessitates active deployment by a server administrator and universal access via a Root Account. Otherwise, availability depends solely on the web host, who must explicitly enable and allow its use, similar to a framework, programming language, or runtime environment.

What types of Docker hosting are available?

When it comes to website hosting, Docker is used both as a server-side application for isolating areas or users, as well as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). The latter model takes advantage of the fact that Docker containers can be easily exported and run in different environments. With Docker hosting, providers offer fixed resources with guaranteed performance, similar to a VPS hosting or a Dedicated Server, to serve as an environment for your own containers. This provides the option to run different software comfortably without complex configuration on external hardware, for example, as a web server or as a central node for thin clients.

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