This is a stub, please find the full documentation at https://pages.jlab.org/scicomp/software/jlab-container-docs/
Containers provide a modern, lightweight, and reproducible way to package software environments. At Jefferson Lab (JLab), containers play a critical role in ensuring consistency across interactive systems, batch jobs, and cloud or Open Science Grid (OSG) resources.
Unlike virtual machines, containers share the host system's kernel, making them more resource-efficient and faster to start. They provide a reproducible execution environment critical for both development and scientific analysis.
Docker and Podman are two leading Container Engines used to build, manage, and run containers. These are self-contained environments that package code and its dependencies for consistent execution across systems. While most introductory materials use Docker, JLab has adopted Podman as the preferred backend due to its enhanced security model and daemonless architecture.