Container Images
Container images are lightweight, standalone, executable packages that include everything needed to run a piece of software: code, runtime, system tools, libraries, and settings. They are built from a set of instructions defined in a Dockerfile or similar configuration file and serve as the immutable blueprint for creating containers. Images are stored in registries like Docker Hub and can be versioned, shared, and deployed consistently across different environments.
Developers should learn and use container images to ensure consistent application behavior from development to production, eliminating the 'it works on my machine' problem. They are essential for microservices architectures, CI/CD pipelines, and scalable cloud deployments, as they package dependencies and configurations into portable units. This enables rapid deployment, easy scaling, and efficient resource utilization in container orchestration platforms like Kubernetes.