Docker and Microsoft partner to bring container applications to Windows and Azure

[Arthur]

Containerization comes to Windows.

 

Sources: Docker / Microsoft (via Wired)

 

Microsoft Corp. and Docker Inc., the company behind the fast-growing Docker open platform for distributed applications, on Wednesday announced a strategic partnership to provide Docker with support for new container technologies that will be delivered in a future release of Windows Server. Developers and organizations that want to create container applications using Docker will be able to use either Windows Server or Linux with the same growing Docker ecosystem of users, applications and tools.

 

Today’s business climate requires higher levels of innovation than before, and distributed applications that support open portability are at the forefront of this demand. Docker is addressing this need, driving developer productivity and agility through a containerization approach that moves application code changes from development to production in minutes, enabling real-time change.

 

Today, we announced an exciting set of joint initiatives with Microsoft, including:

 

• Extending Docker to Windows with Docker Engine for Windows Server
  
• Microsoft’s support of Docker’s open orchestration APIs
  
• Integration of Docker Hub with Microsoft Azure, and
  
• Collaboration on the multi-Docker container model, including support for applications consisting of both Linux and Windows Docker containers
  

I’d like to provide some context for this announcement, and why we are so excited.

 

When Docker was launched as an open source project 18 months ago, we had a simple goal:

 

“To build the ‘button’ that enables any application to be built and deployed on any server, anywhere.”

 

Today, we feel we've largely succeeded…for a) Linux applications consisting of b) a limited number of Docker containers.

 

We need to make progress in two big areas over the next few months in order to achieve Docker’s original goal:

 

• Extend Docker to major architectures beyond 64-bit Linux, and
  
• Extend to support applications consisting of a large number of Docker containers, distributed across servers, clusters, and data centers.
  

Today’s announcement represents a big step to addressing both of these challenges.

 

Docker Engine for Windows Server

While Docker started with Linux and is a driving force behind the Linux containerization movement, over half of all enterprise workloads are Windows based.

 

With today’s announcement, we are essentially doubling the universe of developers and organizations that can participate in the Docker ecosystem, creating a uniform standard across the two largest enterprise application ecosystems.

 

Docker Engine for Windows Server will enable developers to build containerized Windows and Linux applications using the same Docker tooling and leveraging the same, huge Docker ecosystem. The effort will include:

 

1. A Microsoft led initiative to add container capabilities (e.g. the equivalent of namespaces and cgroups) to Windows
   
2. A new Docker Windows Daemon, which will be built in open source under the aegis and governance of the Docker project, with input from Microsoft, Docker, Inc, and the broader Docker community
   
3. The overall Docker platform, which will also be extended (in the open) to support both the Docker Windows Daemon and the Docker Linux Daemon.
   

 

Edited October 15, 2014 by Arthur