Container benefits and considerations
1. Container benefits and considerations
As a cloud security professional, it’s important to know about containers. Chances are, you’ll be working with them often. In this video, you’ll learn about how containers can benefit you, and what to be aware of when you use them. One critical element of containers is that they share the kernels of their hosts instead of having their own kernels. The kernel is the component of an operating system that manages processes and memory. For example, when you turn on a computer, the first component that starts is the kernel. Since they’re not connected directly to kernels, containers can be moved easily between systems. They’re platform-independent, and can be run on any systems that can support them. Remember, containers share the host’s kernel, so if the host is vulnerable to an exploit, an infected container can attack the kernel’s vulnerability. This means that the host kernel needs to be up-to-date, and all the libraries in the containers need to be patched. You’ll also need to be extra careful when configuring your container permissions. If you give them more privilege than they need, like having them run as root users, you can expose them to attack. Now that we’ve covered containers and container security, let’s discuss container orchestration. Container orchestration allows you to deploy, scale, and manage your applications using automation. Kubernetes is a popular container orchestration platform that you can use in a cloud environment. Imagine Kubernetes as the conductor of a grand orchestra. Kubernetes, like a band or orchestra instructor at a school or university, directs the performance. It issues commands and ensures harmony with the ensemble of containers, just as an instructor guides students. Containers are like the musicians in an orchestra or students in a music class. Each container represents a specific instrument, each with unique roles within the performance. Kubernetes groups containers into pods, which are like the classrooms or music halls within the school where the orchestra practices. They are shared spaces that house multiple containers, similar to classrooms accommodating students with various roles. These pods enable containers to work closely together, sharing resources like power and the local network, much like students sharing facilities within the same room. Nodes are the physical or virtual machines where the performance takes place, akin to the school buildings hosting multiple classrooms. Just as a school building may have many classrooms, a node can have many pods running within it, providing the stage for the orchestra -containers- to perform. A layered file system is another important element of containers. When you make a new container, there’s one new container layer that new commands and files can be written to. So, any new commands, such as run or copy, that you give to the running container are written to the container layer. Each layer of a container is built on another layer to form an image. After the layers are put together, you get a final image. Remember, an image includes all the files and dependencies you need for your containerized app. Container runtime is software that is responsible for running and managing containers. The container runtime provides an interface that interacts with the host operating system to create, start, stop, and manage containers. Thinking back to our orchestra example, it’s like a conductor cuing a musician to play their instrument at the right time. Now, let’s explore how a container runtime works to put containers together. First, you’ll need an image that includes all the software and dependencies you need for your container. When you use the run command, the platform puts together the container and deploys it. Because containers make up an important part of cloud computing, you’ll likely use them a lot in your role as a cloud security professional. Now that you know more about the elements that set containers apart from other cloud technologies, you can use them to save time and resources.2. Let's practice!
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