Mirantis Kubernetes Engine

Formerly Docker Enterprise

Docker has proven to be a versatile tool with a wide range of use cases. Users have found that Docker simplifies the packaging and deployment of applications and services, allowing developers to match their development environment to production and eliminate cross-cutting software dependencies. It has been utilized as the backbone of a hosted app infrastructure, where every element is broken down into microservices deployed on the AWS cloud. Additionally, Docker has been instrumental in creating specialized microservices such as a Selenium Grid for automated web-based testing.

Moreover, Docker has played a crucial role in maintaining environmental consistency and streamlining deployment processes. It has enabled users to swiftly containerize Continuous Deployment and Integration pipelines, facilitating easy deployment and updates of the system and its environments. With Docker, users have been able to quickly deploy and monitor servers, firewalls, switches, and other components, providing a consistent and efficient environment for prototyping and testing. Another notable use case is spinning up new databases for microservices using Docker, ensuring consistency and independence across different environments.

Furthermore, Docker has integrated seamlessly with orchestration frameworks like Apache Mesos and Mesosphere Marathon. This combination has allowed for more efficient application development and deployment through effective management of containers. Docker has also demonstrated its utility in building server deployment files and running tests, enabling consistent deployments and reliable testing procedures.

In addition to these technical applications, Docker has proved to be valuable in hosting MySQL databases for production websites. Its stability, security features, and easy provisioning of identical instances have made it a preferred choice for users. Moreover, Docker has been extensively used in CI builds as it enables the creation of custom Linux images and seamless deployment of the latest code from the Docker registry.

The flexibility offered by Docker comes to the forefront when it comes to testing practices. It provides a highly configurable environment that makes cross-platform testing significantly more efficient. Users have leveraged Docker for both automated website/application testing pipelines as well as creating flexible environments for manual testing. Moreover, Docker has acted as a viable alternative to custom build and deploy solutions, offering a more flexible and decentralized process.

Notably, Docker has been embraced by a large global financial services provider to enhance efficiency and agility in application development. This adoption has resulted in increased innovation and productivity within the organization. Another significant benefit of using Docker is its ability to provide identical application environments across multiple deployment environments, leading to the deployment of more stable applications.

Furthermore, Docker has played a role in differentiating between server/compute infrastructure and application infrastructure. Operations teams can efficiently manage the cluster of servers, while application developers can run containers on the cluster, ensuring a clear separation and easier management of the two layers.

Teams have leveraged Docker for various development and deployment practices. Engineers can build applications in the same environment, eliminating local configuration issues that often arise when working across different setups. Docker has been particularly useful for WordPress development, replacing tools like Vagrant and providing tighter integration with Windows Hyper-V and better performance.

One of the significant advantages of Docker is its ability to containerize applications, resulting in consistent deployment environments across different stages and compatibility with various cloud platforms. This has greatly simplified the deployment process for users and enhanced their productivity. Additionally, Docker has been highly beneficial for the development team in resolving issues related to different setups on Windows, Linux, and Mac operating systems, while also providing easy configurations for automation QA.

Docker's impact extends beyond software development into the realm of research reproducibility. Users have developed Docker containers to encapsulate research pipelines, leveraging GitHub and DockerHub as public repositories. This approach has effectively addressed the challenge of ensuring reproducibility in research experiments.

Moreover, Docker Swarm has been employed to deploy internal applications in a managed cluster, successfully tackling scaling and load balancing issues during peak business hours. The combination of Docker with Kubernetes has also gained popularity among teams for containerizing projects and facilitating the development of microservices.

Overall, Docker's value proposition lies in its ability to provide consistent development environments, prevent deployment issues, streamline configurations, enhance testing efficiency, and simplify the overall software packaging and deployment processes. Its widespread usage across various industries highlights its robustness, ease of setup, community support through open-sourced images, and its ability to create and test configurations as needed. Docker has become an indispensable tool for many organizations seeking to optimize their software development lifecycle while improving productivity and innovation.