What is Docker?

Docker is an open source platform that enables developers to build, deploy, run, update, and manage containers. Containers are standardized, executable components that combine application source code with the operating system (OS) libraries and dependencies necessary to run that code in any environment. 

Distributed application development and delivery are made easier by containers. As businesses switch to cloud-native development and hybrid multicloud settings, they have grown in popularity. Developers can build containers without Docker by interacting directly with features included in Linux and other operating systems. However, Docker accelerates, simplifies, and secures containerization. Over 13 million developers were reportedly using Docker's platform as of this writing (link resides outside ibm.com).

The term "Docker" both refers to the open source project, to which Docker, Inc. in addition to numerous other organizations and individuals make contributions, and to Docker, Inc, the organization that offers the production version of Docker.