Comparing Scaling Methods for Linux Containers

Linux containers are shaping the new era of building applications. With their low resource utilization overhead and lightweight images, they present an appealing model to package and run applications. The faster boot time of containers compared to virtual/physical machines makes them ideal for auto-scaling and on-demand provisioning. Several methods can be used to spawn new containers. In this paper we compare three different methods in terms of start time, resource consumption and post-start performance. We discuss the applicability, advantages and shortcomings of each method, and conclude with our recommendations.