[docker series] What is docker?
Tags: docker, vitualization
Published: 2017-11-29 16:56:49

---
title: "[docker series] What is docker?"
published: true
description: An introduction to Docker written by Muhammad Habib Jawady .
tags: docker, vitualization 
---


![docker logo](https://www.docker.com/sites/default/files/Whale%20Logo332_5.png)
[Muhammad Habib Jawady / [29-11-17]


Hello there, this is Muhammad Habib Jawady and in this article I will be talking about a clean, safe and portable runtime environment called –you guessed it- docker.

This will be a hands-on series of articles with no perquisite skills whatsoever, I will cover the basics of docker, also basic terminology and commands. But first,

### Why should you care?

In the 4 years since they launched:

 ![docker in 2017](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/docker101-july20171-170714233644/95/introduction-to-docker-2017-14-638.jpg)
It is a container platform addressing every application across the hybrid cloud. It is an open source project licensed under Apache license 2.0 excluding worries about libraries and dependencies when packaging applications for deployment on linux-powered operating systems.

### Why not virtualization?

A lot of people wonder why not long for virtualization instead. The most convenient answer is &#39;why not both&#39;?! Actually, they can and they are both used in tune as most VPS providers such as AWS and Azure supply class type 1 hypervisor-based instances1(aka. bare-
![hyperv types](http://www.computerperformance.co.uk/images/win8/hypervisor.jpg)
metal full virtualization technologies such as &#39;Xen&#39;) and Docker can run on top a virtualized Linux instance and that&#39;s not the case for VMs especially that it is not yet supported in most major cloud computing platformsi

**Containers allow the deployment of a project with no hypervisor to run on top of and help get rid of &#39;It works on my computer&#39; issue by getting rid of the guest OS layer.**

 ![docker vs VMs](https://i.stack.imgur.com/pG94I.png)
**Docker releasing?**

Docker is available in two editions: **Community Edition (CE)** and **Enterprise Edition (EE)**. Each come with its features and updating and patching frequency, both available on multiple platforms, on cloud and on-premises.

|
**Community Edition**** ii**
 |
**Enterprise Edition**** iii**
 |
| --- | --- |
|

| **Stable update channel** | **Edge update channel** |
| --- | --- |
| gives you reliable updates every quarter | gives you new features every month |

- A given Docker CE Stable release will receive patches and updates for one month after the next Docker CE Stable release.
- A given Docker CE Edge release will not receive any patches or updates after a subsequent Docker CE Edge or Stable release.
 | A given Docker EE release will receive patches and updates for at least **one year** after it is released. |

For installation, please visit: [https://docs.docker.com/engine/installation/](https://docs.docker.com/engine/installation/)

***1*** For more about virtualization techniques : https://securitywing.com/types-virtualization-technology/

***i*** Nested virtualization support in Azure: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/nested-virtualization-in-azure/

***ii*** https://www.docker.com/community-edition/

***iii*** https://www.docker.com/enterprise-edition/