[CFP ] Containers are just processes: a Linux perspective

[ghanatava]

Description

Containers are ordinary Linux processes that are started with a different set of kernel primitives primarily namespaces, cgroups, and filesystem isolation. This talk presents a kernel first mental model of containers, focusing on what actually happens when a container starts, rather than how container tools abstract it.

In this 20-minute session, we will walk through how the Linux kernel enables containers by:

• Creating isolated views of the system using namespaces (PID and mount)
• Exposing reality through /proc
• Safely changing the root filesystem using pivot_root
• pivot_root v/s chroot
• Limiting resource usage with cgroups

The goal of this talk is not to deep-dive into Docker or Kubernetes internals, but to demystify containers by understanding the exact Linux mechanisms they rely on. By the end of the session, attendees should be able to reason about containers as constrained processes rather than opaque runtime objects.

This talk is aimed at Linux users and engineers who run containers regularly and want a clearer understanding of the kernel primitives underneath no kernel hacking experience required.

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Talk Duration

20 minutes

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Audience Level

Beginner to Intermediate
(Linux users, DevOps engineers, students)

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Prerequisites

Basic familiarity with Linux processes and the command line

[AYAN-AMBESH]

Hello @ghanatava are you available to present this talk on 3rd January?

[ghanatava]

yes I am available on 3rd January

[axios047]

This sounds like a very nice topic 😃. Really interested for this...
BTW can you also touch on the different alternative solutions to docker and how should we choose which one to pick based on our use case?

[AYAN-AMBESH]

yes I am available on 3rd January

We are in the process of finding a venue, and I will keep you updated on this.

[ghanatava]

@axios047 That is an interesting idea but I have not tried the other solutions myself at least on the image building side of things. I can try experimenting with podman and also other container runtimes besides containerd

[AYAN-AMBESH]

@axios047 the location for the venue has been confirmed.
Venue: CSDS 29, Rajpur Rd, Ludlow Castle, Civil Lines, Delhi, 110054.
You can find more about the event at https://www.meetup.com/ilugdelhi/events/312456220/

[ghanatava]

Unfortunately I won't be able to present this talk on 3rd January. I have university exams that day.

[AYAN-AMBESH]

It's okay, thanks for updating.