Revolutionizing University IT Labs: A Docker-Based Approach for Next-Generation Learning Environments

The increasing demand for practical, industry-aligned learning environments in higher education has exposed the limitations of traditional physical labs, which suffer from high resource consumption, scalability challenges, and inflexibility. This paper explores the adoption of Docker containerization as a sustainable solution for university lab deployments, enabling efficient resource utilization, rapid deployment, and scalable distributed system simulations. We present a comparative analysis of three deployment approaches: (1) physical machines, (2) virtual machines (VMs), and (3) Docker containers. Empirical results demonstrate that containerization reduces RAM usage by 64.6%, CPU overhead by 50.8%, and disk footprint by 87.8% compared to physical setups, while maintaining full functionality. A case study of a Nagios-monitored distributed architecture including web services, FTP, databases, and Hadoop clusters illustrates how Docker facilitates hands-on learning, collaboration, and remote accessibility on modest hardware. This study concludes that containerized labs address critical challenges in university laboratory environments, offering a cost-effective, scalable, and industry-relevant alternative to traditional infrastructures.