Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and several more big names in the technology industry are joining forces to take part in the Open Container Project, a nonprofit organization under the Linux Foundation which will work to standardize software container technology.
Other companies that are onboard the program, revealed at the DockerCon 2015, include HP, IBM, Intel, Red Hat, VMware, and nontech companies such as Goldman Sachs.
"The creation of the Open Container Project is one of the most important technology industry moves this decade," said Linux Foundation executive director Jim Zemlin.
Microsoft's participation in the project is a twist of fate, as Linux was once considered the company's biggest competitor. Nevertheless, Microsoft's participation was needed because of the significance of container technology in the future of software development.
Container technology, which was mostly pioneered by Docker, allows developers to package their software within containers that makes it easier to run the software anywhere. The importance of this feature becomes more important as applications become even bigger.
The technology also allows developers to code software on their personal laptops, forward it to another team for local server testing and then run the application on a public cloud service without having to make any changes to the software's programming.
Container technology is both simple and powerful, giving developers more time to focus on their actual software by eliminating the time and effort needed to configure their applications for different platforms.
Ben Golub, the CEO of Docker, said that the containers of the company are the "de facto standard" in the industry. Google, Amazon, Microsoft and the other tech companies seem to agree, as the companies are adapting themselves to be able to support Docker container technology.
"I've never seen a technology get so much traction so quickly," said Red Hat CEO Jim Whitehurst, supported by the fact that Docker's container technology has been downloaded more than 500 million times.
Docker has been augmenting the free containers that the company provides with the Docker Hub, which is a series of paid services that provide companies with tools for managing and collaborating on projects placed within containers through their own networks.
The launch of the Open Container Project, however, will massively expand container technology by making the big tech names involved in the development of products revolving around it. By having the companies develop open source applications, it will be easier for the companies to adhere to a certain standard. Docker has donated both its draft specifications and its existing code to serve as the cornerstone technologies of the project.
The standard to be developed under the project, named RunC, will ensure the compatibility of Docker containers with technology from other container companies such as the rkt containers of CoreOS. Rkt, formerly Rocket, is the App Container runtime for Linux.
"Containers are revolutionizing the computing industry and delivering on the dream of application portability," said Zemlin.
