I use Docker on Ubuntu primarily for containerizing applications and development environments, creating consistent runtime environments across development and testing, reducing dependency issues, and simplifying the development workflow on the Linux ecosystem.
Recently, I was working with an application for one of the Linux ALSA-based advanced Linux audio system applications, and I had to containerize that application so that we could run it on different devices and different Ubuntu OS versions. I used Docker for this purpose.
In some update systems, I was building some software updates, and I also used Docker for those tasks. There are many additional cases where I have used Docker.
The best features that Docker on Ubuntu offers are container isolation, fast startup time, portability, and strong integration with the Ubuntu Linux ecosystem, making it easy to package applications with their dependencies and run them consistently across systems.
Portability and the isolation that containers provide are very useful, as is the fast setup. All these features of Docker are very useful because they help set up environments very quickly on other operating systems without any dependencies, which is a very valuable feature of Docker.
In the Ubuntu ecosystem, the integration is very strong, which I think is one of the best features. The compatibility of Docker with the Ubuntu system is one of the best features.
In my organization, we use the Linux ecosystem exclusively for our development, and my team's development environment is based entirely on the Linux system. We have multiple devices where the system is running. Docker helps us port our software and applications to many devices without any dependencies, such as without any other installation, pre-installed application, or library. Whatever is needed is only packaged in Docker, so it helps us port the application very quickly and very easily. Docker has definitely improved productivity and reliability significantly.
Docker on Ubuntu could be improved by making networking and storage configuration simpler, specifically for teams new to containers. Better built-in tooling or clearer documentation for debugging container networking issues would help tremendously. Tightening integration with security tooling and providing clear guidance on container hardening would be useful for production environments. Simplifying networking and improving documentation for debugging would make Docker on Ubuntu even better.
One additional pain point is managing containers at scale. As the number of containers grows, it becomes more complex and requires additional tools. Troubleshooting container networking or volume-related issues can sometimes be time-consuming, specifically in more advanced setups.
I started using Docker on Ubuntu three years ago.
I have deployed Docker on our private server. We primarily use Docker on on-premises systems and, in some cases, in hybrid setups where development and testing may run on cloud-based environments while production remains on-premises. This approach gives us the best control over hardware, networking, and costs, specifically for embedded and system-level workloads.
In our hybrid setup, we mainly use AWS for development and testing workloads while the production ecosystem runs on-premises, utilizing AWS for tasks including CI/CD pipelines, container image storage, and temporary test environments. For our cloud side, we use AWS through the AWS Marketplace combined with on-premises infrastructure for our core system.
From my experience, pricing and licensing for Docker on Ubuntu are very straightforward. Docker itself is open source and when used on Ubuntu, there are no licensing costs, which significantly reduces setup and operational expenses. When using Docker via AWS Marketplace, pricing is transparent and usage-based, making cost planning easier. Overall, Docker on Ubuntu helps us avoid vendor lock-in and reduces infrastructure costs compared to traditional VM-based deployments.
Using Docker on Ubuntu helps us save time and operational efforts rather than directly reducing headcount. It saved setup time by seventy percent, reduced VMs and infrastructure cost by thirty to forty percent, and improved team productivity without needing additional engineers.
Before choosing Docker on Ubuntu, we evaluated a few other options, including VM-only deployments and Docker on other Linux distributions like CentOS and Amazon Linux, but Ubuntu offered better documentation, community support, and smoother Docker integration.
On a scale of one to ten, I would give Docker on Ubuntu a rating of eight.
