Digi International Launches Digi Containers

Earlier this year, Digi Internationally officially introduced Digi Containers, a software service designed to facilitate creating and operating custom applications on Digi cellular routers running DAL OS. By utilizing the Digi Remote Manager® platform as the central portal for deployment and management, Digi Containers offer developers the flexibility to harness the full potential of edge computing.

With Digi Containers, developers can use Lightweight Linux Containers (LXCs), which function as virtual machines sharing the host device's kernel, allowing the containerized processes to run at native speed and closely resembling direct execution on the host device. The lightweight and portable nature of containers ensures both security and flexibility, enabling developers to expand the capabilities of Digi solutions according to specific requirements.

Digi Containers also empower users to easily upload, manage, deploy, and monitor container-based applications through the Digi Remote Manager, a value-added service for Digi cellular routers, facilitating the orchestration and management of complex container configurations and structures.

Some of the most notable benefits of Digi Containers include:

• Portability – A containerized application can be deployed in private and public clouds. Companies gain flexibility because they can easily move workloads among environments and providers.
• Scalability – Containers can scale horizontally (i.e., you can "clone" identical containers within the same cluster to expand capacity/throughput as needed). By running only what is needed, when needed, costs decrease significantly.
• Increased security – By design, containers are inherently isolated. If one container is compromised, others won't be affected.
• Speed – Autonomy from the operating system gives greater control. You can start/stop a container in seconds. You achieve faster development and operational speed and a faster and smoother user experience.
• Efficiency – Since a separate operating system isn't required, containers require fewer resources than VMs. You can run several containers on a single server. Less hardware means lower costs and fewer points of failure.

Kinana Hussain, Vice President of Product Management at Digi International, expressed excitement about the launch, stating that Digi Containers unleash the power of edge computing on Digi cellular routers. By leveraging the embedded software environment and computational capabilities of Digi devices, developers can access a rich set of features, capabilities, and services distributed through the trusted Digi TrustFence® security framework and facilitate the creation and support of a wide range of demanding containerized applications across enterprise, industrial, and transportation markets.