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What Are The Best VPS Hosts? Top 8 Best VPS
Infrastructure
02.11.2021
10 min read
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In this article we will talk about VPS — powerful computers that hosting providers sell access to, so that developers, administrators, and webmasters around the world can create amazing apps and useful websites.
Let’s find out how the VPS works, how it is different from classic servers, and how to choose the best one. And at the end, we will discuss the best VPS hosts to use now.
What is a VPS hosting?
VPS stands for Virtual Private Server. In short, it is a special combination of software and hardware that lets developers and webmasters publish their websites and applications on the web.
This type of server is virtual because it is not a real computer but an isolated space on a powerful PC that is controlled via a program called a hypervisor and imitates a fully-fledged «machine». Even though it is intangible it lets you deploy applications and use whichever technology and utilities you want on your own server (you can even access BIOS and quickly change hardware characteristics).
For example, you might want to host a database on your VPS or launch a dynamically changing website. It is up to you how you set up your server. You just have to rent enough virtual power.
So a VPS is a server without the need to buy a real server.
Is VDS any different?
Yes and no. Overall, they are the same. VDS stands for Virtual Dedicated Server and dedicated in this case is similar to private. Both use hypervisors to control virtual hardware.
The difference sometimes lies in the technology of virtualization that is used on the server. Some users divide Virtual Private Server and Virtual Dedicated Server into two different camps, the OpenVZ virtualization and the KVM, VMWare virtualization.
The first one is much more flexible than the second one. It lets you change the hardware characteristics of the server on the go without shutting down the running site or application. But it only supports Linux and is not as secure as KVM and similar virtualization technologies.
KVM is different because it isolates your workspace more effectively, depriving the host and other users from accessing your data in any way. But you can’t change the virtual hardware set without rebooting the server (KVM seems to be closer to a real computer).
Benefits and disadvantages of VPS
VPS offers a relatively cheap and functional way of sending your site or app to the web. But like any complex software solution, it has its pros and cons.
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This type of server is cheaper than dedicated servers and most cloud clusters.
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It is easy to transfer all the data from one VPS to another. You don’t have to consider hardware-related issues. Everything is encapsulated into a virtualized block of data.
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The hosting provider usually takes care of all the tech stuff.
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VPS comes with a dedicated IP, Firewall, and other necessary components, distinguishing it from virtual hosting which is a cheaper and less functional solution.
On the other hand, you have less performance with a virtual server because you are sharing it with other users renting VPS at the same hosting. Also, even with root access, you have no impact on the hardware.
How to choose the best VPS hosting?
When choosing the VPS hosting consider these factors:
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Type of operating system. It might be Linux or Windows Server. In most cases, Linux is an optimal solution but some services work best with Windows.
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Virtual hardware should be powerful enough to run your app smoothly. Pay special attention to the storage volume so you don’t have to limit yourself.
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Choose hosting that offers servers around the globe so every user on the planet can access your website or application without visible lags.
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Good VPS hosting offers different features that simplify the process of creating the server. For example, an opportunity to deploy projects that are stored in git-system.
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And the hosting itself should have a good reputation. It is important to choose one which is already used by some users and uses well-grounded data centers.
Top 8 best VPS
Here we will quickly observe the most popular hosting providers that are on the TOP right now.
Most of the apps have the same features so we will not discuss all of them. We will consider specific characteristics and note the cons of the servers if they are any.
This is one of the most popular and powerful VPS hosts at the moment. It tops a lot of ratings and is loved by many webmasters. The uptime of the InMotion is remarkably high — about 99.99%. It sports a qualified and proactive support team and flexible billing system.
InMotion hosting has many plans from the cheapest with 2 GB of RAM, 45 GB of space on SSD, and 2 CPUs to powerful machines with 8 CPUs and 8 GB of RAM. Every plan comes with unlimited bandwidth, free transfer from another hosting, and a control panel called cPanel.
There are many users of InMotion servers around the globe so you can be sure about the reputation of the host. InMotion VPS guarantees the security of your files stored on the server.
Of course, InMotion offers its users basic functionality like regular data backup, a free SSL certificate to assure data encryption, and many other necessary features.
Price: starting at $18 per month
Uptime: 99.99%
Hostman is the VPS hosting that offers unique virtual machines that are ready to work with specific tools and applications like databases, Webpack-projects, etc.
While most of the other VPS hosts give you an empty server that you must set up manually, Hostman lets you use your GitHub repository to deploy a fully-fledged and ready-to-run application in a few clicks. Immediately after connecting the repository.
Renting a Hostman server allows you to choose from the cheapest virtual machine with one 3.2 GHz CPU, 25GB SSD, and 1 GB of RAM to the most advanced with 8 processors, 16 GB of RAM, and 320GB of SSD.
It uses DigitalOcean, Amazon, and Azure as a backend, so you have an outstandingly reliable server with amazing uptime up to 100% with global data centers around the world.
You can also choose a pre-made server with installed MongoDB, Minecraft server, or any operating system you like (including Ubuntu, CentOS, FreeBSD, Debian).
And the best thing about Hostman is that it offers a 7-day free trial without functional limitations so you can try out all the features of the VPS and decide whether or not you should rent.
Price: starting at $5 per month
Uptime: 99.99%
It is a hosting provider that became popular because of the good balance between the price and the value it offers to server renters. You can choose a flexible plan that fits well with your unique requirements. You can even buy a plan with an administrator who will manage your site.
A2 works with different operating systems including Linux and Windows. But it has some pitfalls like the absence of a free domain on all the plans and less uptime.
Users describe the support team of the A2 hosting as friendly and skilled. So, by renting a server here you won't have to worry about the qualifications of people behind A2.
The second big potential drawback when using A2 is the limited amount of disk storage. The maximum you can get at A2 VPS hosting is 150 GB.
Price: starting at $40 per month
Uptime: 99.95%
A quite reliable server that is known for its extremely good uptime.
It is a fully functional VPS that delivers everything you would expect from this kind of software product. Developers usually use it for deploying web projects based on WordPress site builder. But in any case, it has the tools and services required to maintain a stable and powerful VPS.
Bluehost will please new users with the free domain it gives to everyone forever. You just need to rent any of the VPS’s offered on the official website of Bluehost hosting.
The reason you may not like this host is its limited storage. If you need to store an impressive number of files or a big database you will be a bit disappointed by the cap of 120 GB of SSD storage.
Additionally, the plan system is not as flexible as you would expect from hosting at this scale. You’d have to choose one of three options. But you might find it easy to decide which is best.
Price: starting at $19.99 per month
Uptime: 99.98%
This one is one of the cheapest VPS hosts for those who are creeating their first website or application. Hostgator offers massive discounts for starting plans to encourage you to rent their hardware.
Hostgator is well known for its flexible customization system that lets webmasters cherry-pick necessary components, tools, and services to create the server of their dream. Moreover, it boasts impressive reliability due to its state-of-the-art data centers.
The 45-day guarantee period may help you decide. If you’re not satisfied with the quality of the server a refund will be easy enough to get.
But you probably won’t be happy with a static amount of RAM and the same bandwidth for every plan. Also, Hostgator VPS hosting doesn’t deliver free bonuses such as a domain name or SSL certificate.
Price: starting at $20 per month
Uptime: 99.99%
Hostinger is a good choice for those who want to jump from shared hosting to a VPS mostly because of its reasonable prices and the ease of starting a new server.
The cheapness is the biggest advantage of Hostinger. The first plan is a bargain. You can get a decent server for the monthly price of an app in the App Store.
Unfortunately, there are several disadvantages that could put you off this hosting provider. Hostinger sports the lowest uptime around the VPS in this set (it’s unlikely to reach 99% and it might be the lowest number), it has no phone support and boasts only 800 GB bandwidth while most of its counterparts offer at least 1 TB. Furthermore, the support team here doesn’t work 24/7 so you can’t rely on it. They don’t always help, especially in critical situations.
Price: starting at $4 per month
Uptime: 99.90%
Liquid Web reviews usually tell us how this hosting offers balanced plans that are cheap and at the same time give enough hardware power to launch quite demanding applications.
One of the reasons to choose Liquid Web hosting is the large selection of control panels included.
Also, every plan comes with professional backup for more than a hundred gigs of data. There’s a good support team that might help with setting up the server for the first time and neutralizing any issues that appear while already utilizing a rented server over a given period.
Moreover, Liquid Web is good enough at protecting your VPS from DDoS attacks. And a highest data transferring speed is achieved owing to high-quality SSD.
Price: starting at $15 per month
Uptime: 99.99%
This is a contradictory VPS host. It is accessible and functional enough but has the biggest amount of restrictions. You have to think twice before renting a server here.
You might like it because DreamHost VPS offers you totally unlimited bandwidth, so you’ll never have to think about any limitation connected to data transfer speed.
But there are many disadvantages. First of all, there’s no live chat and phone support. To resolve any issue you’ll have to use email. That’s quite archaic and not especially useful. The second problem lies in the lack of root access. There isn’t the control you would have using other hosts. And the last thing that you probably won’t like is the lack of a money-back guarantee if you are unsatisfied with the server quality.
All things considered, we don’t really believe in their claim of 100% uptime.
Price: starting at $10 per month
Uptime: 100%
Conclusion
That’s it, you can try many VPS hosts and decide which is best. This list includes conservative and reliable solutions like A2 and modern and powerful ones like Hostman. The last gives you a chance to try all the features for free and quickly create your own project to test it out.
But if you want to try a different solution choose the one that gives you the advanced tools to secure your data and while providinng you with as much high uptime as possible.
Infrastructure
02.11.2021
10 min read
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Infrastructure
Virtualization vs Containerization: What They Are and When to Use Each
This article explores two popular technologies for abstracting physical hardware: virtualization and containerization. We will provide a general overview of each and also discuss the differences between virtualization and containerization.
What Is Virtualization
The core component of this technology is the virtual machine (VM). A VM is an isolated software environment that emulates the hardware of a specific platform. In other words, a VM is an abstraction that allows a single physical server to be transformed into multiple virtual ones.
Creating a VM makes sense when you need to manage all operating system kernel settings. This avoids kernel conflicts with hardware, supports more features than a specific OS build might provide, and allows you to optimize and install systems with a modified kernel.
What Is Containerization
Containers work differently: to install and run a container platform, a pre-installed operating system kernel is required (this can also be on a virtual OS). The OS allocates system resources for the containers that provide a fully configured environment for deploying applications.
Like virtual machines, containers can be easily moved between servers and provide a certain level of isolation. However, to deploy them successfully, it’s sufficient for the base kernel (e.g., Linux, Windows, or macOS) to match — the specific OS version doesn’t matter. Thus, containers serve as a bridge between the system kernel layer and the application layer.
What Is the Difference Between Containerization and Virtualization
Some, especially IT beginners, often frame it as "virtualization vs containerization." But these technologies shouldn't be pitted against each other — they actually complement one another. Let’s examine how they differ and where they overlap by looking at how both technologies perform specific functions.
Isolation and Security
Virtualization makes it possible to fully isolate a VM from the rest of the server, including other VMs. Therefore, VMs are useful when you need to separate your applications from others located on the same servers or within the same cluster. VMs also increase the level of network security.
Containerization provides a certain level of isolation, too, but containers are not as robust when it comes to boundary security compared to VMs. However, solutions exist that allow individual containers to be isolated within VMs — one such solution is Hyper-V.
Working with the Operating System
A VM is essentially a full-fledged OS with its own kernel, which is convenient but imposes high demands on hardware resources (RAM, storage, CPU).
Containerization uses only a small fraction of system resources, especially with adapted containers. When forming images in a hypervisor, the minimal necessary software environment is created to ensure the container runs on an OS with a particular kernel. Thus, containerization is much more resource-efficient.
OS Updates
With virtualization, you have to download and install OS updates on each VM. To install a new OS version, you need to update the VM — in some cases, even create a new one. This consumes a significant amount of time, especially when many virtual machines are deployed.
With containers, the situation is similar. First, you modify a file (called a Dockerfile) that contains information about the image. You change the lines that specify the OS version. Then the image is rebuilt and pushed to a registry. But that’s not all: the image must then be redeployed. To do this, you use orchestrators — platforms for managing and scaling containers. Orchestration tools (the most well-known are Kubernetes and Docker Swarm) allow automation of these procedures, but developers must install and learn them first.
Deployment Mechanisms
To deploy a single VM, Windows (or Linux) tools will suffice, as will the previously mentioned Hyper-V. But if you have two or more VMs, it’s more convenient to use solutions like PowerShell.
Single containers are deployed from images via a hypervisor (such as Docker), but for mass deployment, orchestration platforms are essential. So in terms of deployment mechanisms, virtualization and containerization are similar: different tools are used depending on how many entities are being deployed.
Data Storage Features
With virtualization, VHDs are used when organizing local storage for a single VM. If there are multiple VMs or servers, the SMB protocol is used for shared file access.
Hypervisors for containers have their own storage tools. For example, Docker has a local Registry repository that lets you create private storage and track image versions. There is also the public Docker Hub repository, which is used for integration with GitHub. Orchestration platforms offer similar tools: for instance, Kubernetes can set up file storage using Azure’s infrastructure.
Load Balancing
To balance the load between VMs, they are moved between servers or even clusters, selecting the one with the best fault tolerance.
Containers are balanced differently. They can’t be moved per se, but orchestrators provide automatic starting or stopping of individual containers or whole groups. This enables flexible load distribution between cluster nodes.
Fault Tolerance
Faults are also handled in similar ways. If an individual VM fails, it’s not difficult to transfer that VM to another server and restart the OS there.
If there’s an issue with the server hosting the containerization platform, containers can be quickly recreated on another server using the orchestrator.
Pros and Cons of Virtualization
Advantages:
Reliable isolation. Logical VM isolation means failures in one VM don’t affect the others on the same server. VMs also offer a good level of network security: if one VM is compromised, its isolation prevents infection of others.
Resource optimization. Several VMs can be deployed on one server, saving on purchasing additional hardware. This also facilitates the creation of clusters in data centers.
Flexibility and load balancing. VMs are easily transferred, making it simpler to boost cluster performance and maintain systems. VMs can also be copied and restored from backups. Furthermore, different VMs can run different OSs, and the kernel can be any type — Linux, Windows, or macOS — all on the same server.
Disadvantages:
Resource consumption. VMs can be several gigabytes in size and consume significant CPU power. There are also limits on how many VMs can run on a single server.
Sluggishness. Deployment time depends on how "heavy" the VM is. More importantly, VMs are not well-suited to scaling. Using VMs for short-term computing tasks is usually not worthwhile.
Licensing issues. Although licensing is less relevant for Russian developers, you still need to consider OS and software licensing costs when deploying VMs — and these can add up significantly in a large infrastructure.
Pros and Cons of Containerization
Advantages:
Minimal resource use. Since all containers share the same OS kernel, much less hardware is needed than with virtual machines. This means you can create far more containers on the same system.
Performance. Small image sizes mean containers are deployed and destroyed much faster than virtual machines. This makes containers ideal for developers handling short-term tasks and dynamic scaling.
Immutable images. Unlike virtual machines, container images are immutable. This allows the launch of any number of identical containers, simplifying testing. Updating containers is also easy — a new image with updated contents is created on the container platform.
Disadvantages:
Compatibility issues. Containers created in one hypervisor (like Docker) may not work elsewhere. Problems also arise with orchestrators: for example, Docker Swarm may not work properly with OpenShift, unlike Kubernetes. Developers need to carefully choose their tools.
Limited lifecycle. While persistent container storage is possible, special tools (like Docker Data Volumes) are required. Otherwise, once a container is deleted, all its data disappears. You must plan ahead for data backup.
Application size. Containers are designed for microservices and app components. Heavy containers, such as full-featured enterprise software, can cause deployment and performance issues.
Conclusion
Having explored the features of virtualization and containerization, we can draw a logical conclusion: each technology is suited to different tasks.
Containers are fast and efficient, use minimal hardware resources, and are ideal for developers working with microservices architecture and application components.
Virtual machines are full-fledged OS environments, suitable for secure corporate software deployment.
Therefore, these technologies do not compete — they complement each other.
10 June 2025 · 7 min to read
Infrastructure
Top RDP Clients for Linux in 2025: Remote Access Tools for Every Use Case
RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) is a proprietary protocol for accessing a remote desktop. All modern Windows operating systems have it by default. However, a Linux system with a graphical interface and the xrdp package installed can also act as a server. This article focuses on Linux RDP clients and the basic principles of how the protocol works.
Remote Desktop Protocol
RDP operates at the application layer of the OSI model and is based on the Transport Layer Protocol (TCP). Its operation follows this process:
A connection is established using TCP at the transport layer.
An RDP session is initialized.
The RDP client authenticates, and data transmission parameters are negotiated.
A remote session is launched: the RDP client takes control of the server.
The server is the computer being remotely accessed.
The RDP client is the application on the computer used to initiate the connection.
During the session, all computational tasks are handled by the server. The RDP client receives the graphical interface of the server's OS, which is controlled using input devices. The graphical interface may be transmitted as a full graphical copy or as graphical primitives (rectangles, circles, text, etc.) to save bandwidth. By default, RDP uses port 3389, but this can be changed if necessary.
A typical use case is managing a Windows remote desktop from a Linux system. From anywhere in the world, you can connect to it via the internet and work without worrying about the performance of the RDP client.
Originally, RDP was introduced in Windows NT 4.0. It comes preinstalled in all modern versions of Windows. However, implementing a Linux remote desktop solution requires special software.
RDP Security
Two methods are used to ensure the security of an RDP session: internal and external.
Standard RDP Security: This is an internal security subsystem. The server generates RSA keys and a public key certificate. When connecting, the RDP client receives these. If confirmed, authentication takes place.
Enhanced RDP Security: This uses external tools to secure the session, such as TLS encryption.
Advantages of RDP
RDP is network-friendly: it can work over NAT, TCP, or UDP, supports port forwarding, and is resilient to connection drops.
Requires only 300–500 Kbps bandwidth.
A powerful server can run demanding apps even on weak RDP clients.
Supports Linux RDP connections to Windows.
Disadvantages of RDP
Applications sensitive to latency, like games or video streaming, may not perform well.
Requires a stable server.
File and document transfer between the client and server may be complicated due to internet speed limitations.
Configuring an RDP Server on Windows
The most common RDP use case is connecting to a Windows server from another system, such as a Linux client.
To enable remote access, the target system must be configured correctly. The setup is fairly simple and works "out of the box" on most modern Windows editions.
Enable remote desktop access via the Remote Access tab in System Properties.
Select the users who can connect (by default, only administrators).
Check firewall settings. Some profiles like “Public” or “Private” may block RDP by default. If the server is not in a domain, RDP might not work until you allow it manually via Windows Firewall → Allowed Apps.
If behind a router, you might need to configure port forwarding via the router’s web interface (typically under Port Forwarding). Recall that RDP uses TCP port 3389 by default.
Best RDP Clients for Linux
Remmina
Website: remmina.org
Remmina is a remote desktop client with a graphical interface, written in GTK+ and licensed under GPL. In addition to RDP, it supports VNC, NX, XDMCP, SPICE, X2Go, and SSH.
One of its key features is extensibility via plugins. By default, RDP is not available until you install the freerdp plugin. After installing the plugin, restart Remmina, and RDP will appear in the menu.
To connect:
Add a new connection.
Fill in connection settings (you only need the remote machine's username and IP).
Customize further if needed (bandwidth, background, hotkeys, themes, etc.).
Save the connection — now you can connect with two clicks from the main menu.
If you need to run Remmina on Windows, a guide is available on the official website.
FreeRDP
Website: freerdp.com
FreeRDP is a fork of the now-unsupported rdesktop project and is actively maintained under the Apache license.
FreeRDP is a terminal-based client. It is configured and launched entirely via the command line. Its command structure is similar to rdesktop, for example:
xfreerdp -u USERNAME -p PASSWORD -g WIDTHxHEIGHT IP
This command connects to the server at the given IP using the specified credentials and screen resolution.
KRDC
Website: krdc
KRDC (KDE Remote Desktop Client) is the official remote desktop client for KDE that supports RDP and VNC protocols.
It offers a clean and straightforward interface consistent with KDE's Plasma desktop environment.
KRDC is ideal for users of KDE-based distributions like Kubuntu, openSUSE KDE, and Fedora KDE Spin. It integrates well with KDE's network tools and provides essential features such as full-screen mode, session bookmarking, and network browsing via Zeroconf/Bonjour.
KRDC is actively maintained by the KDE community and is available through most Linux package managers.
GNOME Connections
Website: gnome-connections
Vinagre was the former GNOME desktop's default remote desktop client. GNOME Connections, a modernized remote desktop tool for GNOME environments, has since replaced it.
GNOME Connections supports RDP and VNC, providing a simple and user-friendly interface that matches the GNOME design language. It focuses on ease of use rather than configurability, making it ideal for non-technical users or quick access needs.
Features:
Bookmarking for quick reconnections
Simple RDP session management
Seamless integration into GNOME Shell
Connections is maintained as part of the official GNOME project and is available in most distribution repositories.
Apache Guacamole
Website: guacamole.apache.org
This is the simplest yet most complex remote desktop software for Linux.
Simple because it works directly in a browser — no additional programs or services are needed.
Complex because it requires one-time server installation and configuration.
Apache Guacamole is a client gateway for remote connections that works over HTML5. It supports Telnet, SSH, VNC, and RDP — all accessible via a web interface. Although the documentation is extensive, many ready-made scripts exist online to simplify basic setup.
To install:
wget https://git.io/fxZq5 -O guac-install.sh
chmod +x guac-install.sh
./guac-install.sh
After installation, the script will provide a connection address and password.
To connect to a Windows server via RDP:
Open the Admin Panel, go to Settings → Connections, and create a new connection.
Enter the username and IP address of the target machine — that's all you need.
The connection will now appear on the main page, ready for use.
Conclusion
RDP is a convenient tool for connecting to a remote machine running Windows or a Linux system with a GUI. The server requires minimal setup — just a few settings and firewall adjustments — and the variety of client programs offers something for everyone.
09 June 2025 · 6 min to read
Infrastructure
Docker Container Storage and Registries: How to Store, Manage, and Secure Your Images
Docker containerization offers many benefits, one of which is image layering, enabling fast container generation. However, containers have limitations — for instance, persistent data needs careful planning, as all data within a container is lost when it's destroyed. In this article, we’ll look at how to solve this issue using Docker’s native solution called Docker Volumes, which allows the creation of persistent Docker container storage.
What Happens to Data Written Inside a Container
To begin, let’s open a shell inside a container using the following command:
docker run -it --rm busybox
Now let’s try writing some data to the container:
echo "Hostman" > /tmp/data
cat /tmp/data
Hostman
We can see that the data is written, but where exactly? If you're familiar with Docker, you might know that images are structured like onions — layers stacked on top of each other, with the final layer finalizing the image. Each layer can only be written once and becomes read-only afterward. When a container is created, Docker adds another layer for handling write operations.
Since container lifespans are limited, all data disappears once the container is gone. This can be a serious problem if the container holds valuable information. To solve this, Docker provides a solution called Docker Volumes. Let’s look at what it is and how it works.
Docker Volumes
Docker Volumes provide developers with persistent storage for containers. This tool decouples data from the container’s lifecycle, allowing access to container data at any time. As a result, data written inside containers remains available even after the container is destroyed, and it can be reused by other containers. This is a useful solution for sharing data between Docker containers and also enables new containers to connect to the existing storage.
How Docker Volumes Work
A directory is created on the server and then mounted into one or more containers. This directory is independent because it is not included in the Docker image layer structure, which allows it to bypass the read-only restriction of the image layers for containers that include such a directory.
To create a volume, use the following command:
docker volume create
Now, let’s check its location using:
docker volume inspect volume_name
The volume name usually consists of a long alphanumeric string. In response, Docker will display information such as the time the volume was created and other metadata, including the Mountpoint. This line shows the path to the volume. To view the data stored in the volume, simply open the specified directory.
There are also other ways to create a Docker Volume. For example, the -v option can be added directly during container startup, allowing you to create a volume on the fly:
docker run -it --rm -v newdata:/data busybox
Let’s break down what’s happening here:
The -v argument follows a specific syntax, indicated by the colon right after the volume name (in this case, we chose a very creative name, newdata). After the colon, the mount path inside the container is specified. Now, you can write data to this path, for example:
echo "Cloud" > /data/cloud
Data written this way can easily be found at the mount path.
As seen in the example above, the volume name is not arbitrary — it matches the name we provided using -v. However, Docker Volumes also allow for randomly generated names, which are always unique to each host. If you’re assigning names manually, make sure they are also unique.
Now, run the command:
docker volume ls
If the volume appears in the list, it means any number of other containers can use it. To test this, you can run:
docker run -it --rm -v newdata:/data busybox
Then write something to the volume. Next, start another container using the exact same command and you’ll see that the data is still there and accessible — meaning it can be reused.
Docker Volumes in Practice
Now let’s take a look at how Docker Volumes can be used in practice. Suppose we're developing an application to collect specific types of data — let’s say football statistics. We gather this data and plan to use it later for analysis — for example, to assess players’ transfer market values or for betting predictions. Let’s call our application FootballStats.
Preserving Data After Container Removal
Obviously, if we don’t use Docker Volumes, all the collected statistics will simply be lost as soon as the container that stored them is destroyed. Therefore, we need to store the data in volumes so it can be reused later. To do this, we use the familiar -v option:
-v footballstats:/dir/footballstats
This will allow us to store match statistics in the /dir/footballstats directory, on top of all container layers.
Sharing Data
Suppose the FootballStats container has already gathered a certain amount of data, and now it's time to analyze it. For instance, we might want to find out how a particular team performed in the latest national championship or how a specific player did — goals, assists, cards, etc.
To do this, we can mount our volume into a new container, which we’ll call FootballStats-Analytics. The key advantage of this setup is that the new container can read the data without interfering with the original FootballStats container’s ongoing data collection. At the same time, analysis of the incoming data can be performed using defined parameters and algorithms.
This information can be stored anywhere, either in the existing volume or a new one, if needed.
Other Types of Mounts
In addition to standard volumes, Docker Volumes also supports other types of mounts designed to solve specialized tasks:
Bind Mount
Bind mounts are used to attach an existing path on the host to a container. This is useful for including configuration files, datasets, or static assets from websites. To specify directories for mounting into the container, use the --mount option with the syntax <host path>:<container path>.
Tmpfs Mount
Tmpfs mounts serve the opposite purpose of regular Docker Volumes — they do not persist data after the container is destroyed. This can be useful for developers who perform extensive logging. In such cases, continuously writing temporary data to disk can significantly degrade system performance. The --tmpfs option creates temporary in-memory directories, avoiding constant access to the file system.
Drivers
Docker Volume Drivers are a powerful tool that enable flexible volume management. They allow you to specify various storage options, the most important being the storage location — which can be local or remote, even outside the physical or virtual infrastructure of the provider. This ensures that data can survive not only the destruction of the container but even the shutdown of the host itself.
Conclusion
So, we’ve learned how to create and manage storage using Docker Volumes. For more information on how to modify container storage in Docker, refer to the platform’s official documentation.
09 June 2025 · 6 min to read
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