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Create secure simple containers with the systemd tools Nspawnd and Portabled
Isolation Ward
The debate surrounding systemd, originally launched with the simple goal of replacing the ancient SysVinit scripts in most Linux distributions with a contemporary solution, has caused even venerable projects like Debian GNU/Linux to split into a pro-systemd faction (Debian) and an anti-systemd faction (Devuan).
However you look at it, though, success has proved systemd originator Lennart Poettering right. No major distribution today would seriously consider replacing systemd with another solution. The init system's relevance is dwindling in any case in the age of containerized applications. If MariaDB is just a container you need to launch, then the init system hardly needs to perform any magic.
If you follow Red Hat, SUSE, and its offspring, clearly containers is where the journey is headed (see the "Container Advantages" box). A container-first principle now applies to all enterprise distributions, with the exception of Debian. Systemd has a few aces up its sleeve that most admins don't even know about – not least because of the sometimes almost hysterical controversies surrounding the product.
Container Advantages
From the point of view of both vendors and software producers, containers are convenient, with the distribution only having to provide a few components: a kernel and a runtime environment. The software provider, in turn, also only needs one container in their portfolio because it runs on basically every system with a functional container runtime. Where Red Hat and its associated distros used to have to maintain different versions of MariaDB, PostgreSQL, and practically all the relevant tools for their own distributions, today they only provide a shell and a kernel. The provider of the software itself steps into the breach and offers precisely one container that runs everywhere. Brave new world – and so elegant.
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