The Docker platform allows developers to package and run applications as containers. A container is an isolated process that runs on a shared operating system, offering a lighter weight alternative to virtual machines. Though containers are not new, they offer benefits — including process isolation and environment standardization — that are growing in importance as more developers use distributed application architectures.

When building and scaling an application with Docker, the starting point is typically creating an image for your application, which you can then run in a container. The image includes your application code, libraries, configuration files, environment variables, and runtime. Using an image ensures that the environment in your container is standardized and contains only what is necessary to build and run your application.