Deployment using a container such as Docker

Owing to the design of microservices, you need to have an environment that provides flexibility, agility, and smoothness for continuous integration and deployment as well as for shipment. Microservices deployments need speed, isolation management, and an Agile life-cycle.

Products and software can also be shipped using the concept of an intermodal-container model. An intermodal-container is a large standardized container, designed for intermodal freight transport. It allows cargo to use different modes of transport—truck, rail, or ship without unloading and reloading. This is an efficient and secure way of storing and transporting stuff. It resolves the problem of shipping, which previously had been a time consuming, labor-intensive process, and repeated handling often broke fragile goods.

Shipping containers encapsulate their content. Similarly, software containers are starting to be used to encapsulate their contents (products, applications, dependencies, and so on).

Previously, Virtual Machines (VMs) were used to create software images that could be deployed where needed. Later, containers such as Docker became more popular as they were compatible with both traditional virtual stations systems and cloud environments. For example, it is not practical to deploy more than a couple of VMs on a developer's laptop. Building and booting a VM is usually I/O intensive and consequently slow.