How do containers differ from traditional virtualization?

The distinction between containers and traditional virtualization fundamentally revolves around how they package and manage applications. Containers encapsulate an application along with its dependencies, libraries, and other necessary elements into a lightweight unit. This allows for portability and consistency across different computing environments. Unlike traditional virtual machines, which require a full guest operating system for each instance, containers share the host system’s kernel while isolating the application processes. This results in lower overhead and faster startup times.

By encapsulating everything needed to run an application into a single unit, containers facilitate easier deployment and scaling, making them particularly well-suited for modern microservices architectures. This streamlined approach is why containers are considered more efficient and resource-friendly compared to traditional virtualization methods, which manage separate operating systems and consume more resources.