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Docker Blurs the Line Between SaaS and Self-Hosted Apps

The more I use Docker, the more I notice it being used. One interesting example was when I recently decided to add a Discourse site to jeffknupp.com (it's not ready yet, but will be soon). When I finally found instructions for installing a self-hosted version of Discourse (rather than their SaaS hosted version that requires a monthly payment), I was shocked.

Looking at the installation instructions for Discourse, I was immediately struck by the fact that, not only did they support Docker installations, but Docker was the only method of installation they supported. Why? This question, from their FAQ, is quite telling:

Why do you only officially support Docker?

Hosting Rails applications is complicated. Even if you already have Postgres, Redis and Ruby installed on your server, you still need to worry about running and monitoring your Sidekiq and Rails processes. Additionally, our Docker install comes bundled with a web-based GUI that makes upgrading to new versions of Discourse as easy as clicking a button.

A Taste Of Things To Come

Indeed, Docker makes it so easy to install and manage applications that self-hosting Docker-based applications is a very real option for those who would otherwise use the hosted version of applications like Discourse or WordPress. While installing something like WordPress is beyond the skills of most non-technical bloggers, installing it via Docker (if that were an option) certainly is not.

Discourse's installation documentation is fantastically detailed yet remarkably short. It walks you through every single command you need to type after connecting to a freshly provisioned VPS, down to commands as simple as cd /var/docker. In all, Discourse can be fully installed on a new VPS machine in only 8 command line commands (including things like mkdir, cd, and apt-get install git). That, to me, is mind-blowing. It is also a taste of things to come.

A Short Example

To demonstrate to myself how easy it is to set up a rather specialized environment, I decided to "Dockerize" my development environment. By downloading and running the Docker image I created, you can ssh into an exact replica of my development environment, down to my vim plugins and zsh shell. The directory structure is also organized according to how I work: a code directory with a github_code sub-directory containing clones of all my GitHub repos.

Want to install it? It's simple. I created a GitHub repo called "docker" to contain all my Dockerfiles not attached to specific projects. Run the following command to download the Dockerfile for my dev environment:

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$ wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jeffknupp/docker/master/dev_environment/Dockerfile

Next, you need to build the image by running the following command:

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$ sudo docker build -t jeffknupp/dev:devel .

After that completes, start the ssh server in the virtual environment by running:

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$ sudo docker run -P -d --name dev jeffknupp/dev:devel

Then check what port ssh was mapped to by running:

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$ sudo docker ps
CONTAINER ID        IMAGE                 COMMAND             CREATED             STATUS              PORTS                   NAMES
74aed65dc132        jeffknupp/dev:devel   /usr/sbin/sshd -D   2 days ago          Up 2 seconds        0.0.0.0:49153->22/tcp   dev

And now you can ssh into the machine by running:

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$ ssh jknupp@0.0.0.0 -p 49153

(The password is temp123.)

What Just Happened?

In four commands, you were able to create a virtual environment that exactly mirrors my development setup. After ssh-ing into the machine, take a look at the code/github_code directory. You should see all of my public GitHub repos checked out. Run vim and type the command :PluginInstall after it starts. Let it install the plugins and then restart. You're looking at an exact copy of my vim setup.

Creating the Dockerfile for this was relatively simple, and if you open it up you'll see it's pretty short (about 60 lines). I'm amazed at what those 60 lines were able to accomplish, though, and it only cements my assertion that Docker is the most disruptive technology for software developers in the past decade. And, as we've seen, that's not just for organizations using Docker to simplify their application management and reduce their hardware footprint. I think we're going to start seeing individuals coming up with innovative ways to use Docker to do things that simply weren't possible without it.

What's more, since Docker includes a GitHub-like image management site called Docker Hub, you could have pulled jeffknupp/dev:devel straight from Docker Hub and ran it straight away. That's because I pushed to Docker Hub after confirming the Dockerfile built as expected. Now my development environment is easily available for you to tinker with.

SaaS versus Self-Hosted

For many SaaS applications, there exists a free, self-hosted version that few use due to the inherent requirement of understanding how to administer a Linux machine. I assert, however, that Docker makes it simple enough for anyone to run a full suite of completely separate applications. Imagine renting a VPS and running my dev environment from above, a web application, a blogging platform and a log monitoring application, all Dockerized. In the old days, that would scare off 99% of the population. With Docker, I think 100% of the population could get all of that working on a single machine without issue.

So what does this mean for SaaS businesses? First, there is an incentive to Dockerize their applications: it gives them complete control over the dependencies and initial configuration, drastically reducing the number of support tickets related to clients setting up the application on private hardware. A Dockerized version allows for push-button installation on the client's hardware.

Second, it paves the way for SaaS companies to reduce their hardware expenses. Many of their clients already have a substantial hardware footprint and would be happy to host the application locally if it were an option (and one that didn't require any maintenance). Especially at larger companies, the "extra cost" of running the application is barely measurable. For SaaS companies, the collective savings could mean the difference between operating in the red or the black.

SaaS companies spend a tremendous amount on hardware for application servers. Docker could be a game changer here. By simply offering a Dockerized version and letting clients run the application themselves, they kill two birds with one stone. They reduce their hardware costs while ensuring the application is installed in exactly the way they want with exactly the dependencies it requires.

It Only Gets Better

Remember, Docker is still in its infancy. Version 1.0 was only released a short time ago. The adoption rate, however, is staggering. Google Compute Engine, Amazon Web Services, Rackspace, and IBM Softlayer. And I'm betting that list grows very quickly in the near future.

The case for Docker for the organization is clear. More interesting is how Docker will be used by individuals and small companies. Two examples of small-scale Docker were shown in this article (Discourse and my development environment). But these are just the beginning. I honestly can't wait to see the cool stuff people use it for. And soon, you'll be able to discuss this on my new, self-hosted, Discourse site.

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