Introduction

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• Conceptually, a virtual machine is a separate computer that runs with its own resources, operating system, and applications inside of a host operating system.
• Containers are like lightweight virtual machines with some subtle but consequential differences.
• Containers and virtual machines can address many of the same use cases.
• Both virtual machines and containers are commonly used in academic research but containers are more popular.

Virtual machines using VirtualBox

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• VM point 1

Basics of Containers with Docker

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• Containers are a way to provide a consistent environment for reproducible work.
• Use docker pull to copy an image to your machine
• Use docker start to start running a container
• Use docker ps to check the status of running containers
• Use docker stop to stop running a container

Creating Containers with Docker

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• Dockerfiles include instructions for creating a Docker image
• The FROM command in a Dockerfile indicates the base image to build on
• The CMD command in a Dockerfile includes commands to execute when a container starts running
• The COPY command in a Dockerfile copies files from your local machine to the Docker image so they are available for use when the container is running