Highlights:

  • Containers can be vulnerable to attacks if they are not properly configured and secured. Containers share the host system’s kernel, so any vulnerability in the host system can also affect the containers running on it.
  • Container orchestration tools such as Kubernetes can be complex to set up and manage, particularly for organizations that are new to container technology.

Container technology is not simply any passing technology trend. It was 2019 when migration of legacy applications to containers started to happen as the hottest IT infrastructure trend. Also, it has been extremely appealing to organizations as it makes it easy for development teams to move software around reliably from one environment to other. It appears to be a genuine technology shift that is capable of changing the IT industry forever.

In a report, it was found that application containers will come to see fastest growth as compared to other segments. And an estimated compound annual growth rate of the technology is 40 percent. In other words for developers, it is a method to package an application so it can run with its dependencies isolating it from other processes.

However, there are issues with container technology. And that is – most of the enterprises have traditional infrastructure with major investment and a mature process that run the system, making the world go round. At the same time, the development and DevOps community is growing at a fast pace making it difficult for the container technology to catch. While container technology makes it easy to deploy and build an environment, it is stateless. In addition to it, they are unable to be justified as a complaint and secure. Storage is yet another issue as core of all this.

1. Security vulnerabilities: Containers can be vulnerable to attacks if they are not properly configured and secured. Containers share the host system’s kernel, so any vulnerability in the host system can also affect the containers running on it. Additionally, containers can be targeted directly by attackers, and the use of third-party images can introduce unknown vulnerabilities into the system.

2. Resource contention: Containers are designed to be lightweight and efficient, but when multiple containers are running on a single host, they can compete for resources such as CPU, memory, and storage. This can lead to performance issues, particularly in environments with a large number of containers.

3. Persistent storage: Containers are ephemeral, which means that data stored within a container is not persistent and is lost when the container is stopped or destroyed. This can be a problem for applications that require long-term storage of data.

4. Complexity: Container orchestration tools such as Kubernetes can be complex to set up and manage, particularly for organizations that are new to container technology. This complexity can also make it difficult to troubleshoot issues and maintain a stable and reliable container environment.

5. Limited support for legacy applications: Containerization requires a significant overhaul of an application’s architecture and infrastructure, which can be challenging for legacy applications that were not designed to run in a containerized environment.

6. Integration with existing infrastructure: Container technology is still relatively new and may not be fully integrated with existing infrastructure and tools, such as monitoring and logging systems. This can make it difficult to effectively manage and monitor containerized applications.

Some additional challenges

Networking challenges: Containers within a single host share a single network stack, which can lead to networking issues such as port conflicts and communication problems between containers.

Scaling challenges: Container orchestration tools can make it easier to scale applications, but there are still challenges associated with scaling containers, including resource contention and network configuration.

Deployment challenges: Deploying containers can be complex, particularly in large, distributed environments. It can be difficult to ensure that all containers are deployed correctly and that the application is functioning as expected.

Limited support for certain technologies: Some technologies, such as kernel modules and certain filesystems, may not be fully supported in a containerized environment. This can limit the types of applications that can be run in containers.

Overall, while container technology has many benefits, it is important for organizations to carefully consider these challenges and address them before implementing a containerized environment.

Conclusions

Container management software supports quick DevOps deployment.

Container technology is versatile. Like your desktop PC, a virtual machine takes several minutes to boot up. Since the server OS is already running, container technology can start a container in seconds. This lets containers start and stop, flex up during high demand, and stretch down when not needed.