Docker on CentOS 8

My main use case for Docker on CentOS  is building a proof of concept web application for a few months.

In my opinion, the best features Docker on CentOS  offers are limited right now due to its deprecation about a year and a half ago, which presents a lot of security risks. However, it previously had a huge documentation base because it was the industry standard for years, was very resource-efficient, and had a reliable file system from being derived from Red Hat Enterprise.

Docker on CentOS did not benefit my organization all that much because it was in a deprecated state when I was using it, which is why I quickly stopped using it due to the security vulnerabilities.

If Docker on CentOS were still actively supported, I would want to see security vulnerabilities patched since it has been deprecated for the last year and a half and to ensure that networking sections or commands do not conflict with Podman, which Red Hat now promotes.

I have been using Docker on CentOS for a few months.

In my experience, Docker on CentOS is not stable anymore because it is not actively being maintained.

Docker on CentOS is scalable; I can build virtual machines, EC2  instances, and scale from zero to however many I want, but it is not advisable due to its deprecated state.

I did not reach out for support specifically about Docker on CentOS, but I utilized Amazon's underlying AWS  support, which is good and has quick response times.

I previously used Debian  with Docker , which is actively maintained, and I was reading some old documentation recommending CentOS  when I started using it.

I did not purchase Docker on CentOS through the AWS Marketplace , but rather through the EC2  section of the AWS  console.

I have not seen a return on investment because the deprecation made it so there was none, and if anything, the ROI would have been negative since money and time were spent using something that did not progress.

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing was all good; cost was never an issue, but security and deprecation made it a bad idea to use.

Before choosing Docker on CentOS, I considered using Debian  because it seemed quicker and more efficient based on the documentation, but in the end, it turned out less efficient as I had to switch back to Debian.

A quick specific example of how Docker on CentOS helped with my weather application proof of concept is that I was running a proof of concept to build a web app on CentOS  on Docker  on EC2 instances in AWS, but I realized quite quickly that CentOS actually became end-of-life in 2024, which led me to stop using it due to its deprecated state.

Those features helped me specifically during my project by making it more stable since it used less resources, resulting in a cost-efficient deployment, as the machines that I deployed it on used less of the resources than I thought they needed.

A lesson learned during that period that impacted my future decisions was to understand the development or deprecation timelines of all different types of software pieces in my stack and also to pay more attention to the organization's direction, as Red Hat was making it clear they wanted to switch away from CentOS 7 towards CentOS Stream .

My advice to others looking into using Docker on CentOS is not to use it because it is deprecated; instead, they should opt for something that is actively being maintained, such as Ubuntu  or Debian.

I gave this review a rating of 7.

My main use case for Docker on CentOS  is for running websites and backend services. I use Docker on CentOS  for running websites, specifically for APIs and for running NGINX  service.

I used Docker on CentOS for a microfinance application that had more than 16 services at that time for the backend. The logic was basically on Node.js, and I used all those microservices on Docker on CentOS. Later on, I used the same service on ECS Fargate.

The best features Docker on CentOS offers include its lightweight containers and fast startup. Whenever there was a scale-out required for the APIs, it was immediate, less than 10 seconds to boot up, which was very helpful for the microfinance services.

The fast startup and lightweight containers of Docker on CentOS were very helpful because earlier when we used to have these APIs running on the EC2  instances, many instances were required for those services, even though the code was very small. We had to use many EC2  instances instead of using microservices or micro containers like Docker . When we moved to Docker , the scale-out was very fast and very helpful for the business. The boot time with Docker was very less compared to the EC2 instances because running on the EC2 instances required more boot time for the OS, and there was a long delay due to the script execution for a few seconds.

Docker on CentOS has positively impacted my organization as it helped us grow the business, and the customer was very happy with the services, thus revolutionizing the business.

Docker on CentOS can be improved by being in sync with the OS updates. The OS is already very compatible with Docker, but it can enhance functionality similar to Kubernetes  regarding container orchestration, allowing it to compete with other tools.

The metrics of the containers in Docker on CentOS can also be improved, along with the monitoring part which needs enhancement.

I have been using Docker on CentOS for the last four years.

I would advise others looking into using Docker on CentOS that rather than using their services directly on the EC2 instances which costs higher and take more time to boot up, they should go with Docker containers, which are very fast, easy to deploy, and manage, allowing many services to run on the same EC2 instance without dependencies. If a service needs Node.js version 7 and another needs Node.js version 10, there might be conflicts when running directly on EC2 instances, but with Docker containers, these issues do not arise. Moving to microservices like Docker is the best choice rather than directly installing on the EC2 instances. I have covered all the important areas regarding Docker on CentOS. My overall rating for Docker on CentOS is 9 out of 10.

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