What is the difference between a container and a container image?

What is the difference between a container and a container image?

• A. A container is a running instance of the software, while the container image is a bundle of software
• B. The container image is a running instance; container is a bundle
• C. They are identical
• D. A container is read-only, image is mutable

Answer: (A)

A container image is a static, immutable bundle that contains the software, dependencies, and metadata needed to run an application. It acts as a blueprint. A container is a running instance created from that image, with its own writable layer, isolated filesystem, network, and resources. You can spin up many containers from the same image, and each container maintains its own state while the image itself stays unchanged. In short, the image is the template, and the container is the live, running instance derived from that template.

A container image is a static, immutable bundle that contains the software, dependencies, and metadata needed to run an application. It acts as a blueprint. A container is a running instance created from that image, with its own writable layer, isolated filesystem, network, and resources. You can spin up many containers from the same image, and each container maintains its own state while the image itself stays unchanged. In short, the image is the template, and the container is the live, running instance derived from that template.