With standardized interfaces like Gnome and KDE, there is no need to be a devotee of any distribution. For games or game containers, its likely that Android will be the winner. The adoption of containers has made the problem even worse because it's even further abstracted. You already know this, but Linux distributions are the solution. Built using components from the Red Hat side of the Linux universe, this operating system was one of the earlier lightweight GNU/Linux distributions to appear with a focus on containers. It appears we are considering and making technology decisions based more on fashion sense and immediate emotional gratification than thinking through the secondary effects of our choices. Deepak is a Docker Mentor and has published 5 books on Docker and Kubernetes. Container Linux by CoreOS is an open source software project that provides system administrators and experienced users with a modern and minimal operating system designed for massive server deployments. See Building, Running and Managing Containers for more information on the container tools available on the distribution. Ubuntu is derived off Debian OS, which is another common choice for the host OS. Working closely with engineering teams, at both a product and upstream project level, he combines personal experience with customer and partner feedback to enhance and tailor strategic container features and capabilities. Without thoughtful preparation, the size a… I look at it this way: regardless of whether or not you're a container-"maintainer" or not? an e-card (wait, did I just give my age away?). Container Linux, normally known as CoreOS is a pioneer in the business of container-based Linux distributions.It is an extremely lightweight Linux operating system designed for clustered deployments providing automation, security, … An OS that is small yet provides the essential functionality would be the best choice. Often, updating to new libraries with new features drags in unwanted API changes, which means fixing incompatibilities in code (in other words, shaving yaks). Even when you build from scratch, you will likely look at how a package maintainer built and shipped things—a good artist is a good thief—so, don't undervalue this work. The best Linux distros offer the easiest and simplest way to use Linux, though a lot depends on whether you're a beginner or advanced user. Let's double-click on that a bit. In the Linux operating system, unlike with virtual machines, each Docker container does not use a complete operating system kernel; multiple Docker containers can share the same one. To understand the problem, we have to investigate why we started using Linux distributions in the first place. Finally, we do all of the maintainers (hail the maintainers!) But, if you want a usable system with the ability to try new software whenever you want, you have to learn how to compile and install the new software before you can even begin to learn to use it. It's frustrating to watch. Choosing a Container Operating System. Containers share the same kernel as the host, that's why you can run an Arch image on a Ubuntu host. Slackware and Gentoo (I still have a soft spot in my heart) taught us that. The common point of all linux distributions, and why they are called linux, is because they all use the linux kernel. Starting with WSL2, Docker can run in it’s full flow in Windows and you can use images built for Linux. Choosing a Container Operating System. Remember, there is a cost to controlling everything. While the kernel and associated system software can be tricky to compile, the much, much bigger problem from a workload perspective is compiling thousands and thousands of packages to give us a useable Linux system. For container images, Linux distributions offer you easy access to a ton of software for your projects. Unlike other distros, Gentoo Linux has an advanced, source-based package management system called Portage. Gentoo: Gentoo Gentoo Linux is a versatile and fast, completely free Linux meta-distribution geared towards developers and network professionals. Opensource.com aspires to publish all content under a Creative Commons license but may not be able to do so in all cases. Ubuntu made minimal Docker images available on Docker Hub so that Ubuntu is more suitable as a base OS for Docker images, in addition to being one of the most suitable host OS for Docker. I appreciate the work you do, even though I am a "container guy.". In earlier CoreOS supported only Dockers platform but recently … Bottlerocket: AWS's New Linux Distro for Containers Christine Hall | Sep 11, 2020 On the surface, Amazon Web Service's new minified operating system to use in containers is just another bare-bones Linux distribution to go alongside others that serve the same purpose, such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS, RancherOS, or Flatcar Container Linux. It is part of the Linux kernel, and can let you emulate one, or multiple Linux distros on a single Linux host. Building from base images has the advantage that most build operations are nothing more than a package install or update. This flavor of Linux was purpose-built for container deployments at cloud-level scale. A secondary problem in this bucket is that system software, like compilers, C libraries, and interpreters, must be tuned for the options you built into the kernel. Come on, that's kinda' fun, right? That's the engineering problem you are agreeing to when you forgo a Linux distribution. For more discussion on open source and the role of the CIO in the enterprise, join us at The EnterprisersProject.com. The best answers lie at the intersection of application requirements and OS functionality. An operating system that provides a kernel optimized for sharing among multiple containers would be the most suitable. That means that three years from now your patching event likely becomes a code-changing event, not a yum update event. Submit changes to these docs via GitHub. Another advantage is you have access to the latest packages. Container Linux is a lightweight Linux Distro which is designed for clusters and server. Flatcar Container Linux is a self-updating operating system designed for containers, making it ideal for running Kubernetes and other container platforms. Focus areas includes container runtimes, tools, and images. Luckily, with containers, you can roll back and shave the yaks the next business day, but it will still eat into your time for delivering new value to the business, new features to your applications. So, thank you to all of the maintainers in Fedora, RHEL (Frantisek, you are my hero), Debian, Gentoo, and every other Linux distribution. 1. When you don't rely on a Linux distribution in the container, you have a lot of control, which means you can customize everything for your needs. This is especially useful for embedded development. Container when run worse because it 's the engineering problem you are carrying a,. Are two decent candidates for scratch/distroless builds than building from base images single KVM virtual machine on my.... This in a Linux distro to update anything single Linux host ) is a super lightweight Linux distribution to within! Behind LXC, LXD and LXCFS most common choices is Ubuntu, as a consequence can... 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