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Nextcloud vs Owncloud: What to Choose and How Much Does It Cost?
Infrastructure
26.10.2021
10 min read
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Let’s talk about Nextcloud and ownCloud. What are they supposed to do and why might your team want to use one. Here is a detailed breakdown of the most popular and functional progressive cloud services.
What are Nextcloud and ownCloud?
Basically, both applications are digital coworking services — online platforms for working together as a team on any project while having access to one filing system and additional software products.
The idea behind these products lies in cooperative working without limitations. Nextcloud and ownCloud both help teams to stay connected, edit the same files in parallel, and get the job done faster.
Additionally, it gives control of email to the entire team and not just one teammate. Edit rich-text documents, talk to each other using fully-fledged messengers and call-apps bundled with Nextcloud.
But the unique feature of these apps is the ability to create a private space and work closely with team members.
There are many digital products that make it possible for different people to edit the same files (Evernote, Google Docs, Dropbox, Office 365, etc.) but none of them respects your privacy. With powerful products made by Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, etc. you end up giving them a lot of your personal data. Since ownCloud and Nextcloud are open-source projects you stay in control. These services allow you to avoid corporations while at the same time gaining access to their software products. That’s why both ownCloud and Nextcloud are extremely popular.
What is Nextcloud used for
Nextcloud is a cloud service that includes many tools for working collaboratively. The main member of the Nextcloud family is Nextcloud Hub. This is software that harnesses every tool your team needs to communicate faster, work together and remain aware of any changes to the project.
Nextcloud Files
This is an online filing system that can be accessed by anyone from your team via a web browser or mobile application. It looks like and feels like Google Drive but it’s a private one.
Nextcloud Talk
This one resembles Zoom or Discord. It’s a fully functional platform to communicate with your teammates, share files, and set up phone conferences using mobile devices or a web interface.
Nextcloud Groupware
This is a system of multiple applications including a calendar to prepare a shared schedule, email clients from one email inbox, and enjoy full control of a shared contact list.
Other tools
There are also modules to connect FTP, SharePoint, and other types of servers, and the Nextcloud Flow interface helps to optimize repetitive tasks your team used to do.
How much does Nextcloud cost?
Nextcloud is an open-source project and you can use the distributive for free. But to do this, you’ll have to set it up yourself on your server without the help of specialists.
There’s also Nextcloud Enterprise — a derived project that aims to help large corporations and small businesses access all the tools that Nextcloud offers. It has three plans:
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Basic — this one includes a maintenance lifecycle of one year, faster tech support reaction time, fast deployment of security patches, and the opportunity to integrate the system with Outlook software. It costs 36 euros per user per year for teams of one hundred or fewer teammates and 28.50 euros per user for teams of two hundred or more teammates.
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Standard — this one includes all the features that you can find in the basic plan but also: branding (helps to reconfigure the whole system to be more consistent with corporate identity), additional optional components like Collabora Online Office, HANCOM Works, Nextcloud Groupware, and more. Costs 65 euros per year for small teams and 48.50 for large ones.
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Premium — gives you all the add-ons you might want to install including Microsoft Office Online. It also includes technical support which provides immediate help 24/7. This costs 95 euro per user per year for small teams or 74.50 euros per year for bigger ones.
But you can use hosts like Hostman that offer preinstalled Nextcloud with all the basic functions.
How to setup Nextcloud server
System requirements
-
You should use one of the modern and up-to-date Linux distributives like Ubuntu 20.04, RHEL 8, Debian 10, CentOS 8, etc.
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On your server install MySQL, MariaDB, Oracle Database or PostgreSQL. NoSQL databases are not supported.
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The machine on which Nextcloud is deployed should run an Apache or nginx web server (the first one is recommended).
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It is better to have a modern version of PHP installed.
Installing Nextcloud on Ubuntu Linux
After preparing all the prerequisites listed in the previous part of the article you should visit the official site of the cloud service and download the Nextcloud Server package there.
You’ll have a zip archive that you must extract to the directory named "Nextcloud".
Configure Apache server
You need to create a configuration file /etc/apache2/sites-available/nextcloud.conf.
Inside this file put the following, changing the paths to ones that fit your server preferences:
Alias /nextcloud "/var/www/nextcloud/"
Require all granted
AllowOverride All
Options FollowSymLinks MultiViews
Dav offWhen the server is set up and running you should visit http://localhost/nextcloud and move forward by following the installer’s commands.
What is ownCloud used for?
ownCloud is quite different to Nextcloud. It is actually a platform which branched away from Nextcloud some time ago. The main project was launched first and was then used as a collaborative online tool much earlier than Nextcloud. This is why ownCloud is likewise considered a safe and functional way to store data and grant access to teammates.
ownCloud respects rules such as GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), LGPD, CCFR (Cloud Computing Regulatory Framework), HIPAA and CCPA. These regulations are designed to protect your data from misuse.
As for ownCloud features, developers highlight the following:
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Fully functional mobile applications that are interchangeable with their desktop counterparts.
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Automation support on iOS and new macOS versions.
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Advanced state-of-the-art files encryption system.
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Communication mechanisms to stay in touch with your team.
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Document scanner integrated into iOS for iPhone and iPad.
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Ability to search through the text inside files stored in ownCloud.
How much does ownCloud cost?
There are 4 different plans for ownCloud. 2 for self-hosted servers and 2 for their proprietary online services.
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Standard — gives access to the customer portal, lets you use mobile apps, activate sync, and share files. Costs 5 euro per year per user. The team should comprise at least 25 teammates.
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Enterprise — extended plan that includes Enterprise functions. Costs 12 euros annually per user. The team should consist of at least 25 teammates.
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For Teams — server hosted on ownCloud’s site in Germany. Comes with 1000 GB of cloud storage, 200 GB for every new user, 180 days of data recovery, multifactor authentication, firewall and other useful features. Costs 13 euro per user. Paid annually.
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For Single Users — same as "For Teams" but for smaller groups of users.
How to setup ownCloud server?
System requirements
For best performance developers of ownCloud recommend using:
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Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
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MariaDB 10+
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Apache 2.4 with prefork and mod_php
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PHP 7.4
Installing ownCloud on Ubuntu Linux
You have to create helper script with these commands inside:
FILE="/usr/local/bin/occ"
/bin/cat <$FILE
#!/bin/bash
cd /var/www/owncloud
sudo -E -u www-data /usr/bin/php /var/www/owncloud/occ "\$@"
EOMAfter that you may download the official ownCloud distributive from its website and install it by using command:
occ maintenance:install \
--database "mysql" \
--database-name "owncloud" \
--database-user "owncloud" \
--database-pass "password" \
--admin-user "admin" \
--admin-pass "admin"Configure Apache server
You should set up a server and Virtual Host Configuration. Then you must enable created configuration and change database preferences to correspond with parameters of other server components. Instructions for doing this correctly can be found within ownCloud’s documentation articles.
Nextcloud and ownCloud on Windows and any other platform
Unfortunately, there’s no way to install Nextcloud or ownCloud as a server on any platform besides Linux or FreeBSD. That means that the core of these software products must be deployed on Unix-based OS (macOS is also Unix-based but can’t serve as a server for Nextcloud or ownCloud either). If you want to set up a server on Windows or macOS you should consider alternative cloud services or use virtual machines.
You might know that a lot of developers that use Windows as the main operating system actually develop in Linux environments using Windows Subsystems for Linux. It is a kind of virtual PC inside your PC that runs proper Linux distribution. And since it is a real Linux OS you can deploy Nextcloud there as you would do with Ubuntu. Just visit the Windows Store and find the last version of Ubuntu there. Or download applications like VirtualBox or VMWare.
But if you do not want to deploy Nextcloud or ownCloud but get an app to connect to an already functioning cloud service’s instance you might want to head to the official website of the service and download the client there. Both applications offer clients for Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, and Android. The installation process depends on the chosen platform and is usually not so different from installing any other app.
Nextcloud and ownCloud on Raspberry Pi
In order to install one of the cloud services as a server on your mini-computer, it should be running Linux or FreeBSD. The process of installation is not really different from installing the same software on any Unix-based machine that supports either Nextcloud or ownCloud.
What is better: Nextcloud or ownCloud?
Nextcloud is a good all-in-one solution for most users. It is great for those teams that want to access a lot of useful tools without setting up too many things.
Of course, it is great at working with files. Sharing, coediting, version controlling, etc. But Nextcloud is much more than a remote filing system.
Nextcloud Enterprise helps to deploy a full-fledged cooperative workspace with incredible software components like Nextcloud Talk and Nextcloud Groupware. So your team doesn’t need to use third-party applications to address any challenges that appear before them. At any rate, it is more powerful software that your team can get on much better terms.
In contrast to Nextcloud, ownCloud is focused on working with files only. There are many tools that help teams around the world to handle their documents, photos, presentations, and arts seamlessly. That’s why you won’t find services like Nexcloud Hub here. ownCloud is all about small features created to improve your file sharing and collaborative editing capabilities.
But at the same time, it is an open-source platform with a distinguished API that can be used to create powerful plugins broadly extending the application’s feature set. It means that you can pretty much copy most of the Nextcloud features to ownCloud, and they will be aligned.
Also, it might brag about much faster tech support (which responds within two hours when Nextcloud’s one may make you wait for 2 days), freely available documentation, community edition Windows Desktop Client, Storage certification, etc.
The most lucrative and simple way to deploy Nextcloud
We already mentioned Hostman as a good host to deploy Nextcloud, so let’s get a bit deeper.
Hostman has a marketplace — an online shop with a series of one-click-deploy services. You can find their Minecraft gaming server, different databases, analytics tools, and Nextcloud of course.
The simplest way to start working with this cloud service is to visit its official page in Hostsman’s marketplace and click on the "Launch Nextcloud now" button.
It will create a server with Nextcloud preinstalled and set up. You won’t need to bother about the installation procedure and prerequisites. Everything will be ready for basic configuration and launching.
This service costs 19 dollars per month and if you want to try it our first Hostman offers a 7 day free trial without any restrictions.
Summary
As you see, both Nextcloud and ownCloud are functional and useful instruments to set up cooperative workspaces online. Moreover, you now know what tool to choose and how to make the whole process incomparably beneficial for your team. Don’t forget about Nextcloud system requirements and the security of shared files.
Infrastructure
26.10.2021
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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