What does the term container mean in IT?

After virtual machines (VMs) were initially a big leap in the further development of processes, containers now represent the next paradigm shift. Containers make it possible to separate applications from their runtime environment. They do not require their own operating system, but use the system on which they are installed.

Virtualization thus takes place without a hypervisor. Several containers isolated from each other can be operated within one operating system installation. Containers contain both the required operating system components and applications. Individually executable, independent microservices are made available in the containers. Each individual service can be set up, implemented, scaled and renewed separately.