I read some articles about using a virtual environment in Docker. Their argument are that the purpose of virtualization in Docker is to introduce isolation and limit conflicts with system packages etc.

However, aren’t Docker and Python-based images (e.g., python:*) already doing the same thing?

Can someone eli5 this whole thing?

  • sweng
    3·
    3 months ago

    Upgrading the base image does not imply updating your python, and even updating your python does not imply updating your python packages (except for the standard libraries, of course).

    • uthrediiEnglish
      1·
      3 months ago

      Sure, but in the case where you upgrade python and it affects python packages it would affect global packages and a venv in the same way.

      • sweng
        1·
        3 months ago

        Sure If that happens. But it may also not. Which is actually usually the case. Sure, it’s not 100% safe, but it is safer.