How Does the Use of Docker Effect Latency?
A great question came up on the mechanical-sympathy list that many others probably have as well:
I keep hearing about [Docker] as if it is the greatest thing since sliced bread, but I've heard anecdotal evidence that low latency apps take a hit.
Who better to answer than Gil Tene, Vice President of Technology and CTO, Co-Founder, of Azul Systems? Like Stephen Curry draining a deep transition three, Gil can always be counted on for his insight:
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And here's Gil's answer:
Putting aside questions of taste and style, and focusing on the effects on latency (the original question), the analysis from a pure mechanical point of view is pretty simple: Docker uses Linux containers as a means of execution, with no OS virtualization layer for CPU and memory, and with optional (even if default is on) virtualization layers for i/o.
CPU and Memory
From a latency point of view, Docker's (and any other Linux container's) CPU and memory latency characteristics are pretty much indistinguishable from Linux itself. But the same things Continue reading