Docker Images To Be Based On Alpine Linux (brianchristner.io)

New submitter Tenebrousedge writes: Docker container sizes continue a race to the bottom with a couple of environments weighing in at less than 10MB. Following on the heels of this week's story regarding small images based on Alpine Linux, it appears that the official Docker images will be moving from Debian/Ubuntu to Alpine Linux in the near future. How low will they go?

Comments

Re:Summaries, how do they work?

[Anonymous Coward]

Really? You've never heard of Docker? Docker is a system that allows you to build "containers" for an application that contain all of its dependencies. Then you can deploy it on a machine where it runs as a VM, using its local copy of software and configuration if there is one, or the host's copy if not. It allows you to package applications that can run on any compatible server without interfering with other applications on that server. When you need to spin up a new machine, you can just copy the container over and the application and all of its configuration is automagically moved. It's awesome.

In the short term, Docker is going to change the way that every Linux system is administered. It will change the way that every Linux application is deployed. In the longer term, Docker will finally fulfill the promise of "write once, run everywhere"... linux, unix, windows, android; it won't matter any more. Docker is going to change the world.

Re: Summaries, how do they work?

[Junta]

The novelty comes from having a lot of tools to quickly maintain images and such. As you say, there's also 'dockerhub' to let you download canned application complete with OS libraries. The former I find to be handy, the latter I find problematic.

On the one hand, it can be a handy resource to dive into something to have a hands on example as you learn to deal with it yourself.

However, a few big downsides:
-Some projects have gotten very lazy about packaging. They make a half hearted or no effort to offer up distro packages, because 'hey, docker!'. I suppose this wouldn't be so bad, except for...
-As you say, these are various images with varying degrees of discipline in applying updates.

Complicating matters that even if you 'trust' a particular publisher, docker's infrastructure isn't exactly thorough about things like signing images and such. Updates become gigantic, because you are updating the entire OS even if one library needs a hand.