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What is a Virtual Machine? 3 Types of Virtual Hostings
Infrastructure
27.11.2021
14 min read
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Want to know everything about the virtual machines? Read the article to find out. We'll discuss how virtual machine works, tell about all types of server virtualization and give links to the best virtual machine hosts.
Simply put, a virtual machine or VM is a simulation of a computer inside another computer. It is an artificial programmable environment that makes it possible to imitate a fully functional operating system on top of the one already installed on your device.
They are mostly used by developers who have to deal with different workspaces based on different software platforms and test their projects using a variety of tools that are not always cross-platform. Also, VM’s are popular among enthusiasts who are eager to try out specific Linux distributives.
How does a virtual machine work
Typically, you have a host machine and a guest machine. A host machine is a computer whose hardware will be used as a basis for virtual “devices”. The guest machine is an artificial computer that takes part of the real hardware and ties it together as a structure to run the operating system.
You can create several guest machines and run them on one host. For instance, installing Ubuntu Linux and Windows 10 on an Apple computer and using it in parallel as you would do with two real devices. They are less powerful and a bit restricted in their capabilities but in essence not really different from actual computers.
How to use personal virtual machines
There are several ways to launch a VM on your hardware. Usually, it resembles installing a special application (VMWare or Parallels Desktop) and choosing an operating system to download on it. A bit of mouse clicking without any hassle. Simple as that.
The interfaces of such apps are quite user-friendly so you won’t struggle even if you have no experience of working with virtual machines. If you know how to install OS on a real device then you know how to do it with a virtual one. Moreover, they all have great documentation which will help to get things done right.
Pros and cons of the virtual machines
The biggest advantage of VMs is the opportunity to work with an isolated operating system without sacrificing the one you already have installed.
It means that you have the essence of another PC without actually buying another PC. Furthermore, it is easy to deploy. Just a few clicks and the new virtual machine is ready to use. No USB sticks, no rebooting, no hard disk partitioning, no time-consuming setting up, or other frustrating things to worry about.
What you will have to sacrifice is performance. Virtual machines tend to be slower than real computers. Even if you have a reasonably powerful PC with 32Gb of RAM and an 8-core chip, you won’t be able to use all its potential, and artificial devices will struggle to perform some tasks.
Best apps to create Virtual machines on different OSes
If you want to run virtual machines on Linux, we would recommend you try out the cross-platform and the open-source application VirtualBox. It was created by Oracle.. This app is free and runs really well on Linux-based OSes. As an alternative, you might consider an app called Boxes created by the developers of Gnome Desktop and Gnome OS.
For those of you who consider yoursleves a Mac-person, we’d recommend an application called Parallels Desktop. It is native, the most advanced and performant virtual machine on Mac with features like quick OS-install. But it is a bit pricey. As an alternative, you might want to install VirtualBox.
Windows users usually prefer VMware Workstation. It is one of the most powerful solutions to quickly create and maintain functional and reliable virtual machines. It uses all the underlying Windows technologies to achieve the best performance for guest OSes. It is the best virtual machine for Windows 10 and if you don’t want to pay you can use a restricted free version called VMware Player that will be enough to install some Linux distributions and try them out.
Server-side virtual machines
When we talk about server-side virtualization, we usually mean a huge set of technologies and practices that help engineers decompose complex infrastructures, make them secure, make them more reliable, and much more cost effective to use on a large scale in today’s IT industry.
Normally, server virtualization implies techs used by a business. And there are many ways people at large corporations utilize virtualization. Creating a large number of tools to simplify a variety of tasks and create brand new tools based on virtualization technologies.
And there are many engineers around the globe who have spoken about this. Like Matthew Portnoy, author of a book called Virtualization Essentials, who once said:
«Virtualization in computing often refers to the abstraction of some physical component into a logical object. By virtualizing an object, you can obtain some greater measure of utility from the resource the object provides. For example, Virtual LANs (local area networks), or VLANs, provide greater network performance and improved manageability by being separated from the physical hardware».
Pros and cons of server virtualization
Let’s talk about the advantages and disadvantages of using a virtual machine on a server.
The main thing which should be considered an advantage of virtual machines on servers is the price of such technology. It helps to make hosting websites, databases, and web applications cheaper. Create artificial networks and subsystems. Additionally, it helps developers around the world to deploy their project in a few quick clicks without ordering real hardware and spending time configuring it.
Speaking of cons we must say that there are few disadvantages of virtual machines. The most noticeable drawbacks are:
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lack of security (as with some types of virtualization)
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and lack of performance (while using options with modest payment plans)
What can be virtualized?
Virtualization is a broad term that can be defined in a variety of ways depending on the purpose of a given type of virtualization. That’s why you often stumble upon titles like “Application virtualization”, “Storage virtualization”, etc.
Some sources claim that you can only find five types of virtualization, while others believe there are seven. We will discuss just four that are used most regularly (and are closely connected with the term VM) and explain the difference between different types of virtualization in general.
Application
Small virtual machine representing a single product encapsulated with its dependencies. You can create a virtual copy of an app installed on the remote PC and use it as if it was installed on your device. Some types of application-level virtualization make it possible to use only the hardware of the host machine, but some utilize the resources of both guest and host computers.
Storage
This type of virtualization helps businesses around the world to store massive amounts of data and home users to divide hard drives into virtual sections for personal convenience.
Yep, when you partition off the disk you are virtualizing storage making it easier to isolate files from each other but physically they exist on the same hardware.
Large companies do the opposite. They bind thousands of real disks into one massive virtual one.
OS
We already discussed this type of virtualization at the beginning of the article. OS simulation implies using virtual machines on the server to create digital workspaces.
Virtual machines installed on top of the remote machine can be considered a platform to develop applications on and test them out. Furthermore, such virtualization is popular among webmasters and server administrators who use VMs on the servers for maximum control.
Network
You’ve probably heard of this one. Virtual private networks (or VPN’s) are often used in enterprise areas and sometimes by generic customers for more specific purposes.
Virtual networks help large companies create private webspace inside the internet. This private network is accessible via special software and makes it possible for team members to live across multiple continents but work together as if the whole party were sitting inside one office using the local network.
Furthermore, a VPN is used to imitate the webspace of different countries, so users can access websites and applications that are not available in the country they live in.
Types of server virtualization
Above, we’ve peeped into what things can be virtualized. Below, we will talk about different types of virtualization. Most specialists divide them into three groups (but you may find more on the web). All imply specific relationships between the hardware of the host machine (a real one) and the software of the guest machine (a virtual one). So, it is important to pinpoint that when we speak about virtualization types, we don’t touch on the technological realization of things.
Full virtualization
The first type is the easiest to understand. Full virtualization means creating some kind of virtual machine that uses the real hardware of the host machine exclusively and at the same time becomes completely isolated from it. This kind of virtualization makes the process of creating and maintaining VMs more compatible and portable. It is easier to launch a fully functional OS on top of the host using full virtualization. But at the same time, this type of virtualization is less performant than its modern alternatives like para or OS-level technics widely used today.
OS-level virtualization (containerization)
This kind of virtualization is useful when you need to create instances of an operating system or certain applications within an already running OS. It provides administrators with the tools that allow the quick deployment of many containers (OSes or apps), scale them, port, copy, reorganize, etc.
But at the same time, containerization in some cases makes the whole platform less secure and stable (but it is not true in the case of Docker, for example).
Para-virtualization
When virtual machines are controlled via an application called hypervisor, they are called para-virtualized. It means that they use a specific layer of software between the RAM, CPU and software of the guest OS. This layer helps them to get the necessary part of the hardware to launch the OS and apps and run them smoothly.
Virtualization technologies
It is time to discuss more specific essences like real applications and sets of tools that are used in the virtualization area to create VMs on different host systems.
These software products are quite similar to the ones we reviewed above but they were created precisely for the use of administrators and developers who run VMs on remote servers. We will review four popular solutions used by hosting providers to virtualize fully-fledged OSes on the machines in their data centers.
ESXi
ESXi is a hypervisor developed by VMWare, one of the pioneers in the industry of creating and configuring VMs. What makes ESXi popular is the opportunity to install a virtual machine right on top of the real hardware, neutralizing the software layer between the hypervisor and the host machine. Because of its approach ESXi easily becomes one of the quickest and performant technologies to work with even though it has some disadvantages because of used technics. ESXi brings a user-friendly graphical interface to manipulate the VMS and advanced mechanisms that allow administrators of guest systems to deploy identical systems on other hardware platforms easily without any delays and glitches.
OpenVZ
OpenVZ is a technology that demonstrates how OS-level virtualization could work. The biggest advantage of OpenVZ is the ability to create many cheap Linux-based virtual workspaces with the capabilities of real servers but there are too many drawbacks you will encounter using this software:
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It can incorrectly distribute resources between many virtual machines.
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It makes it impossible for users to have any impact on the core of the system.
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It only supports Linux and there’s no way to use any other OS.
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It is not as secure as most of the concurrent software products.
Xen
Xen is a cross-platform hypervisor that is also an open-source project. Xen is absolutely free, it is compact and easy to install on any Linux distributive or FreeBSD.
The biggest advantage of Xen is the ability to use para-virtualization. That is why most VMs built with Xen run much faster and demonstrate impressive reliability. Speaking of disadvantages we might consider the lack of a graphical interface and not so the user-friendly interface to control the VMs. It can be quite hard to cope with Xen especially if you’re a novice in this area.
KVM
KVM is a technology built into the Linux kernel. One of the most powerful and functional platforms to date. It allows every VM hosted on the computer to have its own kernel. Because of the layer of technologies that lie in the foundation of KVM, it is possible to create VMs that are performant, isolated, secure, and not really restricted in terms of functionality. Even though KVM is based on Linux it is possible to launch Windows as a guest operating system.
Types of virtual hostings
Described technologies are used to create and support hosting products. Servers with virtualization are the most prevalent option now and they are extremely important for hosting providers because they simultaneously lower the price of the servers and raise the performance of cloud computing solutions.
At the moment, we have three hosting categories that you can use as a platform for your applications.
Shared hosting
The cheapest way to host a website on the web. Renting shared hosting you get access to containers launched inside a Linux-based operating system that generally works as a small bit of storage on the SSD also used by tenants using the same host as you. It is possible to deploy a fully functional static website using shared hosting as a platform, but you should be ready to deal with all the caveats that OpenVZ technology brings such as a not infrequent lack of hardware resources to run the deployed project smoothly.
VPS/VDS
Virtual Private Servers are mostly created using technologies like KVM. They are independent and isolated OSes inside the host machine. VPSes can provide users with all the benefits of a KVM such as an opportunity to deploy dynamic web applications, store massive databases, install and use Windows Server as a digital workspace, etc.
One of the reasons why VDSes became extremely popular is the price. It costs much less than a dedicated server but provides almost identical capabilities that you would usually expect from a real computer. KVM-based virtual machines even make it possible to influence the kernel of the OS.
Cloud computing
A modern solution that ideally suits projects of any size and complexity. The biggest plus of cloud-based systems is scalability. You can gradually make it grow with the functionality of your app and the audience that uses it.
Cloud hosting is a network of computers around the world developed using the most advanced technologies available. That’s why it is the most performant and secure way to create any virtualized products (workspaces, VPNs, digital data storage, etc.).
How to choose virtual machine hosting?
The choice depends on the demands of your project. You can use the cheapest option to deploy a static site but if you want something more powerful and useful you’ll have to get over to VDS or a cloud-based solution.
Also, we strongly recommend paying for the hosting because cheap virtual machine hosting providers exist but free ones are mostly run by crooks. It might also be dangerous to host any project on free hosting.
Best virtual machine hosts
- Digital Ocean — one of the most popular hosting providers that offer reliable machines for any use. Well-balanced in terms of price and functionality. A good choice for experienced developers and administrators.
- Netlify — easy to use hosting that can automatically convert GitHub projects into running applications.
- Hostman — an advanced alternative to Netlify that not only offers an opportunity to deploy apps using GitHub and GitLab repositories but also provides customers with a set of pre-made servers.
- InMotion — a powerful VPS host that can boast 99.99% uptime. It works almost 24/7 without interruptions so your project will be accessible to your customers most of the time.
- IONOS — the cheapest web hosting for virtual machines that makes it possible to create your own VM for just $1.
Here it is. Now you know how virtualization works, why you need to install a virtual machine and how to do this. We recommend trying out demo versions of apps like VMware and Parallels to decide which one will become your go-to solution. If you’re trying to find the best server to host a VM you might want to read our article about the 8 best VPS hosts.
Infrastructure
27.11.2021
14 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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