Zephyr Professional Practice Test

How do application containers facilitate application performance?

1. By running on dedicated hardware

2. By isolating processes while sharing underlying OS resources

3. By using complex virtualization frameworks

4. By prohibiting scale-up or scale-out operations

The correct answer is: By isolating processes while sharing underlying OS resources

Application containers enhance application performance primarily by isolating processes while sharing underlying operating system resources. This means that each application runs in its own container, providing an environment that is isolated from other containers. However, unlike traditional virtual machines, which require a full operating system for each instance, containers leverage the host OS, leading to more efficient resource usage. This sharing of the host's kernel allows for lightweight implementations, so multiple containers can run concurrently without the overhead associated with running multiple operating systems. As a result, applications can start up faster, consume fewer resources, and communicate with each other more easily compared to traditional deployment methods. This contributes to higher overall performance for both the individual applications and the system as a whole. Other options do not accurately reflect the benefits of containers. Running on dedicated hardware can lead to higher costs and reduced flexibility, using complex virtualization frameworks generally introduces additional overhead and complexity, and prohibiting scale-up or scale-out operations contradicts the very principles that make containers advantageous for scaling applications efficiently.