What is a container image?

What is a container image?

• A. A runtime process
• B. A live running instance of software
• C. A log file from a container
• D. A portable self-contained bundle of software and dependencies

Answer: (D)

A container image is a portable, self-contained bundle of software and its dependencies that can run anywhere a compatible container runtime is available. It acts as the read-only template for creating a container, including the application code, runtime, libraries, and configuration, plus metadata, and can be stored in and pulled from a registry. It’s not a runtime process, not a live running instance, and not a log file—those come into existence when the image is instantiated into a running container and started.

A container image is a portable, self-contained bundle of software and its dependencies that can run anywhere a compatible container runtime is available. It acts as the read-only template for creating a container, including the application code, runtime, libraries, and configuration, plus metadata, and can be stored in and pulled from a registry. It’s not a runtime process, not a live running instance, and not a log file—those come into existence when the image is instantiated into a running container and started.