container (disambiguation)

A container is something that holds an object so it can be transported from one place to another or stored. This page explains how the term container is used in virtualization, software development, storage, data center management and mobile device management.

container (data center) - a pre-fabricated modular data center designed to be housed in a standard 20-foot shipping container.

container (Java) - the interface between a component and the low-level platform-specific functionality that supports it.

container (mobile device management) - an encrypted area of a mobile device that separates corporate from personal information.

container (storage) -  a defined, specific location in high-volume storage.

container (virtualization) - a modular, stackable approach to developing applications that run in the cloud.

Fun fact:  The idea of splitting a truck into two parts (a tractor and a trailer) and making shipping containers self-contained is credited to Malcom P. McLean. In the 1950’s McLean imagined a modular approach to transporting goods and a future in which it was possible to lift a refrigerated container from a truck and place it on a ship without having to unload the container’s contents or be concerned about the temperature in the ship’s hold. McLean’s work to standardize stackable containers totally changed the shipping industry in the last part of the last century.