Monitoring Docker container metrics and events

In the last few years, container utilization to build, share, and run applications has grown significantly. This growth comes from the fact that containers give developers the ability to package application code and all its dependencies. Also, with containers, users can gain an extra layer of security thanks to the isolation capabilities it provides. The introduction of Docker containers has paved the way for many organizations to easily host applications within containers. Docker containers are standardized, lightweight, and secure runtime instances of a Docker image.

Containers out-of-the-box do not provide security monitoring. Therefore, it is important to have a comprehensive view of what is happening in runtime. This ensures that containers operate smoothly without security issues that can easily affect other containers and the entire infrastructure. Some security aspects to continuously watch out for when running Docker containers are:

Container management: Docker container management involves supervising actions performed on a container to keep it running smoothly. Threat actors can get hold of containers and perform malicious activities such as viewing critical content, opening ports, creating, stopping or even destroying containers. Ability to distinguish unusual Docker events can be challenging. Observing these actions in near real-time as they occur can help organizations running Docker containers make better informed decisions.