Application containerization
An operating system-level virtualization method that allows partitioning of a single host system into multiple isolated environments, each running independent application instances. Similar to how logical partitions (LPARs) slice up resources on mainframes, containers segment and encapsulate system services and dependencies required for an application’s execution.
This containerization approach packages applications and their requisite components into self-contained, portable units that run on a shared operating system kernel but are logically segregated from each other. Each container has its own abstracted view of the userspace, including the code, libraries, configuration files and runtime environment needed to reliably execute the application.
By virtualizing at the operating system level, containers provide application-centric isolation, mobility and resource controls without the overhead of full machine virtualization. Applications containerized in this manner are securely sandboxed yet have direct access to underlying compute resources.
