Containers are software units in which the application code is packaged along with the dependencies and its libraries. They are a lightweight and portable method of deploying applications on the cloud. Containers help in compartmentalizing systems, and migrating them to the cloud, with each part independent to run on its own. Containers are the best way to build, test, deploy applications in multiple environments. They help in reducing costs, ensures greater efficiency and better application development.
For cost effective and flexible cloud migration, one needs to know in what ways containers help in negating the blockages during the cloud journey. Below, I have listed all such ways
1 . Negate CSP locking for applications migration
If applications are written for a specific cloud service provider, there are chances of them being locked in the CSP’s proprietary architecture and platform. Containerization stops you from being restricted to one provider as the applications are refactored into chunks with their operating environment. It allows the applications to run at their optimal performance level even when migrated from one CSP to a new CSP. This portability prevents you from being bound to one CSP and exercise your options for cloud migration.
2. Save Cost
Consider the case where applications are written for a specific CSP which later on increases its charges. The company could be locked in the CSP’s cloud infrastructure as moving that application would be a time-intensive and cost-intensive affair. With containers, companies can maintain their investment cost in those applications and can transfer to a new CSP with relative ease and with lowered costs.
3. Micro sizing for efficiency improvement
With containerization, larger migration projects or software projects can be broken down into relatively independent chunks or modules. This enables the dynamic provisioning of applications in real-time with a spike in demands. Additional containers can be provisioned instantly with the requirement of any application modifications.
4. Accelerate migration to the cloud
With containerization, we can turn bare metals and VMs into containers, refactor applications into bite-sized chunks and enable automated migration with CI/CD integration.
Containerization helps to modernize legacy applications with much ease. It improves scalability, allowing dynamic provisioning of resources with changes in demand. It improves portability, induces agility in Dev, DevOps and other teams, reduces operational and capital expenses involved in migrating to the cloud and operating.
Containerization steps
With proper planning for containerization, the leverage you can draw from the cloud would be maximized. Some of the essential’s steps to be taken for implementing your containerization strategy include
- Selecting the application- Prioritize which applications you want to containerize based on the frequency of updates for the application, criticality of the applications based on their business impact and others
- Support- Ensure that people, processes and tools are in place to containerize the applications
- Keep a tab on resource utilization- Containerization will cause a change in infrastructure and server utilization.
- Employ Orchestration and automation tools- Orchestration and automation tools like Kubernetes help in scaling instances are required
- Creating sandbox environment- Sandbox helps gain experience of orchestration environments and tools like Kubernetes and docker without affecting the production environment
If properly strategized and implemented by heeding to the above steps, containerization can massively reduce the cost of migration. It also provides chances for more consistent operation, and a better application development environment.