Are Bind Mounts and Host Volumes the same thing in Docker?-CodePudding

I have seen the terms "bind mount" and "host volume" being used in various articles but none of them mention whether they are the same thing or not. But looking at their function, it looks like they are pretty much the same thing. Can anyone answer whether it is the same thing or not? If not, what is the difference?

Ref:

Docker Docs - Use bind mounts

https://blog.logrocket.com/docker-volumes-vs-bind-mounts/

CodePudding user response：

They are different concepts.

As mentioned in bind mounts:

Bind mounts have been around since the early days of Docker. Bind mounts have limited functionality compared to volumes. When you use a bind mount, a file or directory on the host machine is mounted into a container. The file or directory is referenced by its absolute path on the host machine. By contrast, when you use a volume, a new directory is created within Docker’s storage directory on the host machine, and Docker manages that directory’s contents.

And as mentioned in volumes:

Volumes are the preferred mechanism for persisting data generated by and used by Docker containers. While bind mounts are dependent on the directory structure and OS of the host machine, volumes are completely managed by Docker. Volumes have several advantages over bind mounts:

Volumes are easier to back up or migrate than bind mounts.

You can manage volumes using Docker CLI commands or the Docker API.

Volumes work on both Linux and Windows containers.

Volumes can be more safely shared among multiple containers.

Volume drivers let you store volumes on remote hosts or cloud providers, to encrypt the contents of volumes, or to add other functionality.

New volumes can have their content pre-populated by a container.

Volumes on Docker Desktop have much higher performance than bind mounts from Mac and Windows hosts.

CodePudding user response：

A "bind mount" is when you let your container see and use a normal directory in a normal filesystem on your host. Changes made by programs running in the container will be visible in your host's filesystem.

A "volume" is a single file on your host that acts like a whole filesystem visible to the container. You can't normally see what's inside it from the host.