Docker’s New Microservices Monitoring Program Looks Like an OS-Style Approach

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Docker is a container host, a multitude of corrections tell us, and not an operating system. But the “container host” took another huge step towards looking like an operating system, as Docker Inc. officially launched this week the first in what appear to be several ecosystem technology partner programs, this one geared toward certifying monitoring systems.

With a partner program, third parties build their supporting products to a specification published by the supporting party. When those products meet or exceed the given standard, the host agrees to help with promotional efforts. It’s all reminiscent of the era when a commercial operating system bestowed its blessings upon supporting vendors, giving them co-sponsorship logos and certifying them for product promotions. One foresees a “Built for Docker” whale badge in vendors’ future.

What Monitoring Should and Should Not Be

Monitoring is a critical function of microservices management, and it’s one of those service areas whose leadership Docker Inc. would like the market to sort out for itself. Although company executives issued formal statements Tuesday morning stating the purpose of the partnership would be to ensure that monitoring products are properly integrated with Docker, the obvious truth is that the partnership’s charter members — AppDynamics, Datadog, New Relic, Scout, SignalFx, and Sysdig — are all well-known for having already integrated with Docker quite admirably.

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