A Container Image is an immutable Image Artifact that packages the files, software, configuration, and metadata required to instantiate a containerized workload.
A Container Image may contain:
A container runtime uses a Container Image to create one or more container instances.
Multiple container instances may originate from the same Container Image while maintaining separate runtime state.
A Container Image differs from a container:
A Container Image differs from a Machine Image:
A Container Image may use layered content. A change to image content produces a new Container Image rather than modifying an existing immutable image in place.
A Container Image may participate in:
image that packages the software, configuration, files, metadata, and other content required to instantiate a containerized workload
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A Container Image may be identified by:
A mutable tag does not make the referenced Container Image mutable. A tag may be reassigned to another Container Image, while each content-addressed image remains distinguishable by its digest.
A Container Image does not by itself establish that the image is:
Separate requirements govern those determinations.
The term does not prescribe a particular image format, container runtime, image registry, orchestration platform, operating system, or provider implementation.
Crucible builds a Container Image containing an application, its runtime libraries, configuration defaults, startup instructions, and identifying metadata. A container runtime later uses the Container Image to instantiate multiple containerized workloads.
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