LXC vs Docker
With the Docker vs LXC discussion, we have to take into account IT operations including dev and test environments. While BSD jails has focused on IT Operations, Docker has focused on development and test organizations. As a result, Docker has established a significant lead in the race to bring containerization to market, with huge install bases and ecosystem partners, as well as advanced tools and facilities custom built for this solution. Why is this? Because Docker has come to market very early with a solution that provides:
◈ A simple way to package and deliver applications and all their dependencies, one that enables seamless application portability and mobility.
◈ Relative ease of use and low administration requirements.
◈ A rich set of tools and utilities.
The Docker Paradigm
Docker benefits:
◈ Reduces a container to a single process which is then easily managed with Docker tools.
◈ Encapsulates application configuration and delivery complexity to dramatically simplify and eliminate the need to repeat these activities manually.
◈ Provides a strongly supportive user community for many aspects of using containers for significant implementations.
◈ Provides a highly efficient compute environment for applications that are stateless and micro-services based, as well as many stateful applications like databases, message bus, etc.
◈ Uses layers and disables storage persistence, which helps make Docker images very lightweight.
◈ Is used very successfully by many groups, particularly Dev and Test, as well as microservices-based production environments.
◈ Supports plug-in architecture for volume, network, and authentication to engage with partner ecosystems.
Docker limitations:
Treats containers differently from a standard host, such as sharing the host’s IP address and providing access to the container via a selectable port. This approach can cause management issues when using traditional applications and management tools that require access to Linux utilities such as cron, ssh, daemons, and logging.
◈ Uses layers and disables storage persistence, which results in reduced disk subsystem performance.
◈ Is not ideal for stateful applications due to limited volume management in case of container failover.
◈ Can require some training for administrators to understand the changes to their operating procedures.
◈ Can require changes to the application being run in the container.
Why has Docker not been adopted for the majority of IT workloads?
Because of the limitations and issues outlined above, the IT industry has searched for another type of containerization technology, one that is more operations and enterprise application friendly. Though LXC is an older containerization technology, it has reemerged as a primary option, initiating the LXC vs docker discussion, because it:
◈ Is essentially a lightweight VM with its own hostname, IP address, file systems, and full OS init.d, and it provides direct SSH access.
◈ Performs nearly as well as bare metal, and better than traditional VMs in almost all use cases, and particularly when the application can take advantage of parallelism.
◈ Can efficiently run one or more multi-process applications.
◈ Is a Linux-native, highly stable, reliable, and efficient container technology that is supported by the OS itself.
An LXC-based container can run almost any Linux-based application without sacrificing performance or operational ease of use. This makes LXC an ideal platform for containerizing performance-sensitive, data-intensive enterprise applications.
The LXC Paradigm
LXC Benefits:
◈ Provides a “normal” OS environment that supports all the features and capabilities that are available in the Linux environment.
◈ Behaves very much like a traditional VM and thus offers a lower barrier to entry for some organizations.
◈ Does not require changes to the application being deployed.
◈ Supports layers and enables Copy-On-Write cloning and snapshots, and is also file-system neutral.
◈ Uses simple, intuitive, and standard IP addresses to access the containers and allows full access to the host file.
◈ Supports static IP addressing, routable IPs, multiple network devices.
◈ Provides full root access.
◈ Allows you to create your own network interfaces.
LXC Limitations:
◈ Does not have a nearly as prolific or responsive user community as Docker does.
◈ Inconsistent feature support across different Linux distributions. LXC is primarily being maintained & developed by Canonical on Ubuntu platform.
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