- ARK has announced that the ARK Core is now available as a Docker image
- Docker solution offers several benefits, the main one being combining all the Core components into a single package
- The setup process of Docker image-based ARK Core software is intuitive
On February 18, 2019, ARK announced that the ARK Core is now available as a Docker image. This should make the Core installation more intuitive, potentially boosting ARK node count. Because more nodes mean stronger network, the release will positively affect the project in the long run.
What is a Docker?
Docker is a software tool allowing to pack applications in a container that is considered the industry benchmark. Thanks to the containers, apps can be combined into one package and delivered as a single image, making the install process of the app significantly easier for the end user. Â Â Â
Even though the general working principle of Docker is similar to that of a virtual machine, there is one major difference. Contrary to  virtual machines, Docker allows applications to use the same Linux kernel as the system that it is running on. Thanks to this feature, it does not need to run the whole operating system using the elements of a key host. As a result, apps can be small in size and work extremely fast.
Improving the Compatibility
One of the main reasons why ARK has released the Docker image is that thanks to a container, the app is guaranteed to run on any other Linux machine regardless of the differences in settings.
What’s more, node installation is made much easier because all dependencies, for example, the language run-times and libraries in an image are combined within the container itself.
The image is a part of the Core package and can be run both for Public and Development networks.
It is available for download here. ARK also provides the detailed manual on how to run the images, as well as additional documentation on using different parts of Core when running ARK Core within Docker.
Rewarding Contributors via the Bounty Program
ARK core team gives developers and testers to earn ARK cryptocurrency by participating in its bounty campaign. Anyone can also help the development by opening an issue on ARK Core repository in case a bug is found.
