The 10 Steps in a 
Container Lifecycle: 
Explained

Table of Contents:

10 Steps in a Container Lifecycle

Container Lifecycle Across Various Platforms

Cloud4C's End-to-End Container Management Solutions

The year 2018 saw containerization become the foundation for modern software infrastructure, and with good reason was dubbed the “breakout year for containers”. With the massive adoption of Kubernetes, the attempt of open-source projects to provide secured container runtimes, introduction of a Linux-native tool to manage containers and pods, containers solidified their position as a go to solution for scalable and efficient application deployment. This was then. Today, containers have transformed the way the software is developed, deployed, and managed.

To fully utilize the benefits offered by containerization, it is crucial to understand the various stages of a container lifecycle. Creation to retirement - each step plays a vital role in ensuring efficient operation and management. In this blog, we will delve into the intricacies of the container lifecycle, breaking down each step of the lifecycle and more. Let us dive in.

10 Steps in a Container Lifecycle

1. Image Creation and Security

A container's journey begins with its image, which serves as a template, and encapsulates the application code, libraries, dependencies, and configurations required to run the application. During image creation, developers define the environment, install necessary packages, and configure settings to ensure consistency across different deployments.

The groundwork for container security is also laid at the initial stage of creating and building a container. If a base image has a security vulnerability, any container images built from it can be vulnerable. As the container is being built, vulnerability scanning needs to be done to detect those found in a Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) database. Vulnerability scanning allows identification and resolution of potential security issues even before deploying the container. Ensuring image integrity through methods such as digital signing is another critical security measure at this stage of the container lifecycle.

2. Container Creation

Post an image is ready, one or more application instances can be launched using the created image. Each instance constitutes a separate container running inside the host machine's kernel space. At this point, the container has not yet been assigned any resources such as CPU, memory, storage, or network access.

3. Deployment

During the transition from development to production, establishing firewalls and network isolation protects container communication and prevents unauthorized access. Access control protocols further restrict interactions between authorized personnel and systems, lowering the likelihood of malicious incidents. Additionally, secure configuration management, such as encrypted secrets and environment variables, also protects sensitive data throughout the container lifecycle.

 

4. Starting the Container

Once launched, the container enters the 'running' state, where it begins executing the commands specified as per the chosen containerized platform. During this period, the container performs initialization tasks like setting up databases, starting services, and loading data.

5. Resource Allocation

This phase involves assigning resources such as CPUs, memory, and storage to containers based on specified limits set during the container creation. Containerization platforms allow for dynamic resource allocation adjustments to meet the changing needs of containers, ensuring optimal performance and efficient use of resources throughout the container's lifecycle. This allocation process is essential for maintaining stability, scalability, and reliability in containerized environments.

6. Orchestration

Orchestration is critical to the container lifecycle, particularly in platforms like Kubernetes. This phase automates the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications, resulting in more efficient resource utilization and resilient operations. Scheduling, load balancing, health checking, self-healing, and rolling updates are among the key functions that ensure applications remain responsive and fault-tolerant even in challenging conditions.

7. Running Application Code

After passing through the initiation stages, containers begin executing the primary application code. This phase entails running the intended tasks, whether serving web requests, processing messages, or handling user interactions. Efficiently running application code is vital for delivering expected results and meeting end-user expectations.

8. Monitoring

Continuous monitoring is integral to the container lifecycle, collecting performance metrics and logs to analyze application behavior, detect any anomalies or security breaches and diagnose issues proactively. Effective monitoring strategies require both real-time and historical data analysis to assess container health, track resource consumption patterns, and detect anomalous behaviors.

What do you do if container monitoring reveals an incident of security breach?

This is where having a robust incident response plan that outlines procedures to minimize potential damage is crucial.

 

9. Updates and Maintenance

With containers deployed and being continuously monitored, the lifecycle enters the stage of updates and maintenance. Important security measures such as patch management and maintenance checks are crucial here.

• Routine patch management addresses any vulnerabilities that arise over time and safeguards containers against known threats.
• Regular maintenance checks help in reviewing and updating security policies and practices to align with evolving threats. It also helps identify potential security gaps in the container environment

Both practices move container lifecycle processes toward proactive improvement.

10. Retirement or Decommissioning

Eventually, when containers are no longer needed, or have fulfilled their purpose, the container reaches this last stage in its lifecycle. It can be shut down or forcefully stopped, releasing allocated resources back into the pool for reuse. Proactive termination helps avoid unnecessary resource wastage. Additionally, terminating unused containers minimizes attack surfaces and reduces vulnerabilities in production environments.

Certain security practices continue to apply even when a container is retiring or decommissioning. For example, all the sensitive data is thoroughly scrubbed, leaving no remnants behind. This is important to prevent data leakages or unauthorized access when the container is no longer in use.

Container Lifecycle Across Various Platforms

Here's a sneak peek into some containerization platforms available in the market:

Docker:

Docker is a popular and one of the most widely used container platforms. Docker container lifecycle is simple, and consists of five states: creation, running, paused, stopped, and killed or deleted. Docker's container lifecycle management is tightly integrated with Docker Engine and Docker Compose, which enables seamless orchestration and maintenance.

Kubernetes:

Kubernetes introduces a slightly different perspective, due to its emphasis on orchestration rather than direct container management. Terms like "pod" and "deployment" are used in Kubernetes container lifecycle to describe units of work that contain one or more containers. The lifecycle of a pod involves transitions between - pending, running, succeeded, failed, and terminated states.

Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE):

Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) is a fully managed service that abstracts most of Kubernetes' underlying complexity. GKE makes it easy to launch and maintain containerized applications at scale, by leveraging Kubernetes' orchestration capabilities.

Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS):

Amazon ECS, a fully managed container orchestration service supports Docker containers and allows easy scaling of containerized applications. ECS manages container lifecycles by using task definitions, these ensure that applications are scalable and delivered reliably.

AWS Fargate:

AWS Fargate, is a compute engine for Amazon ECS and EKS. It allows running containers without having to manage servers or clusters. Fargate eliminates the need to provision, configure, or scale cluster virtual machines (VMs), as well as other tasks like server type selection, cluster scaling, and cluster packing optimization.

Azure Kubernetes Service:

Azure container lifecycle management platform includes Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), a fully managed container orchestration service. AKS comes with features like - built-in monitoring, logging, and security features, that can help eliminate the complexities of setting up and managing Kubernetes clusters. This allows organizations to focus on application development rather than infrastructure management.

Microsoft Azure also offers platforms like Azure Container Instances (ACI) for quick deployments, Azure Container Apps (ACA) for Kubernetes-based microservices, and Azure App Services for flexible application hosting. These platforms offer hybrid platform support, flexible deployment, fully managed containers, multi-language support and much more.

Expertise Matters: Cloud4C's End-to-End Container Management Solutions

Managing container lifecycles is no joke, it is a critical task, due to the complexities involved in ensuring consistent application performance, scalability, security, and collaboration between teams. It requires expert guidance, as well as strategic planning to navigate effectively.

Most importantly, organizations need a seasoned and reliable partner like Cloud4C. Our end-to-end Container Management Solutions cover assessments, consultations, container lifecycle management, automation, reporting, along with robust cybersecurity, and disaster recovery services. With a strong focus on industry best practices and comprehensive support across all stages of container management, your business can confidently explore the full potential of containers, knowing the container lifecycle - start to end – is in safe hands.

Wish to know more? Contact us today!