Mistakes to Avoid: Docker Antipatterns

Whichever route you take to implementing containers, you’ll want to steer clear of common pitfalls that can undermine the efficiency of your Docker stack.

Don’t run too many processes inside a single container

The beauty of containers—and an advantage of containers over virtual machines—is that it is easy to make multiple containers interact with one another in order to compose a complete application. There is no need to run a full application inside a single container. Instead, break your application down as much as possible into discrete services, and distribute services across multiple containers. This maximizes flexibility and reliability.

Don’t install operating systems inside Docker containers

It is possible to install a complete Linux operating system inside a container. In most cases, however, this is not necessary. If your goal is to host just a single application or part of an application in the container, you need to install only the essential