Recently, Docker has updated some terms of service, prohibiting countries, companies, and individuals on the US "Entity List" from using Docker Hub related services, and plans to delete up to 4.5PB of user image data. Will Docker speak for the ideals of the open source world? Become the next VMware?
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The cause is an official update of Docker on August 13th.
The main idea of the clause is that it prohibits embargoed countries and organizations and individuals that are included in the "US Entity List", "Specially Designated National List", "Rejected Person List", "Unverified List" and "Proliferation Prevention List". The Docker website and all related websites linked to this service agreement.
Docker related services are disabled, Linux Foundation: open source is not affected by regulation
Docker is the world's leading software container platform. Users can put their applications into independent Docker containers for version management, copy, share, and modify operations, just like managing ordinary code, which is convenient for development, delivery and operation.
Docker is like a code container, which contains all the environments required for code to run, and does not depend on a specific operating system.
For those who don’t know Docker, please take a look at an article we published earlier: " Someone finally made it clear about Docker! ".
Docker-based application development, which one to use (picture source: kodekloud)
Docker Hub is used to store these code containers. There are thousands of applications on them. You can directly use these containers or do more functional development based on them.
Netizens mentioned that the term stated in the term is only valid for "services provided on Docker Inc. related websites".
So for the time being, open source Docker software is not subject to the ban.
Some netizens said, "Docker and the container-related technologies behind it are all open source, and they are definitely not affected."
But at the same time, he also raised the question, "If even the underlying open source software such as containers is banned, is it possible that Linux will not be used?"
On August 16, Keith, the chief strategy officer of the Linux Foundation Asia Pacific, said on the social media platform :
Regarding US export controls, open source will not be affected, the Docker open source version can continue to be used, and the commercial version will be affected.
Currently, the main restrictions are Docker's commercial software and services, such as Docker Hub and Docker EE.
4.5PB of user mirroring data will be deleted, but payment can be "renewed"
In addition to the news that related services have been disabled, Docker has officially issued a warning to users that Docker plans to delete 4.5 PB of container images, which have not been used for more than 6 months.
Docker recently added a new terms of service that gives it the right to delete inactive images.
Currently, Docker Hub has the world's largest container image repository, storing more than 15 PB of data.
Docker officially pointed out that there are up to 4.5 PB of data that has not been used for half a year. After these images are deleted, more space can be freed up for active images.
After a detailed analysis of the images stored in Docker Hub, we found that 4.5 PB of data has not been pushed or pulled for 6 months or more.
In order to optimize operations, let Docker Hub better serve developers and development teams around the world.
But this policy is only for free users. Pro or Team paid users will have unlimited mirror retention rights and don't have to worry about data being deleted.
The new mirror retention policy will only take effect on November 1 this year. If you are a free user, there are two ways to keep your mirror, one is to upgrade to a paid user, and the other is to stop your mirror from sleeping, push and pull more (download updates, etc.) )several times.
Docker also provides users with a new dashboard to easily check which images are not (to be) active (to be paid).
Open source is great? No, Docker just wants to be the next VMware
On the surface of this update, only the Docker Hub service is affected, but it is not.
Docker itself is just a tool, and Docker Hub is the core of the entire container ecosystem. Docker Hub is like an App Store. Without App, your phone will really become a "mobile phone".
Nowadays, most domestic software vendors use microservices for deployment (concise and efficient). If the image on the Docker Hub cannot be used anymore, the impact will be similar to the disconnection of GitHub.
Docker-based microservices are easy to expand and strong
The one affected is the mirror hosting platform and the other is the code hosting platform.
After the Docker Hub is cut off, many images may be unable to be searched and used. This will have a great impact on small, medium and micro enterprises that rely on Docker Hub for a long time.
The extent of the spread remains to be further analyzed, but many of BATH's services are built on Docker. The impact of the outage depends on the proportion of Docker Hub base images used in its services.
Docker can ban Docker Hub's services today, and Docker and other open source software can be banned tomorrow. Even the commercial version is only one update.
Some netizens said that the open source Moby can be used instead of Docker.
Docker company changed the name of the Docker project to Moby, and it exists as an open source and is jointly maintained by community developers.
Docker's community free version Docker CE is built and compiled on Moby and related projects. Docker CE is also the version used by most developers. Many of the codes contributed to the Moby project have been commercialized by Docker.
Docker itself is a PaaS company. If you still hope that its helm will speak up for the open source world, you should wake up, it just wants to be the next VMware. Virtual machines such as VMware must contain an operating system while Container Docker is independent of the operating system
There are comments on the Internet that Daocloud can be used.
But Daocloud is just a mirror of Docker Hub. Even if there is a mirror backup, without the support of the entire Docker Hub community developers, there will be no source of living water and it is difficult to support an ecosystem.
Open source may be just a beautiful fantasy. Even Apache clearly stated on its official website that it is subject to US export control provisions. In the long run, independent software development still cannot rely entirely on open source.
I saw a blogger’s comments on Trump’s various cut-offs and banned software:
Come on, Zhichun Road and the comrades of Xierqi will wonder if this is the case?