AWS (Amazon Web Services) Certification Practice Exam

What does the term 'containerized applications' refer to?

1. Applications run solely on VMs

2. Apps packaged to run in isolated environments

3. Web applications without servers

4. Static websites hosted on S3

The correct answer is: Apps packaged to run in isolated environments

The term 'containerized applications' refers to applications that are packaged to run in isolated environments. This approach encapsulates the application along with its dependencies, libraries, and configuration files into a single package known as a container. Containers are designed to be lightweight and to provide consistency across different computing environments, ensuring that an application runs reliably regardless of where it is deployed. By using containerization technologies such as Docker and orchestration platforms like Kubernetes, developers can achieve enhanced scalability, portability, and isolation for their applications. This method contrasts with traditional virtualization, where applications rely on virtual machines (VMs) that often include an entire operating system. Containerized applications, by operating on a shared operating system kernel, consume fewer resources and start up more quickly than VMs. The other options mentioned do not accurately capture the essence of containerization. Applications that run solely on VMs do not utilize the benefits and efficiency of containers. Web applications without servers refer to serverless architectures, which is a different paradigm altogether. Static websites hosted on S3 involve basic file storage and delivery and again do not exemplify the concept of containerization, which is about running applications in isolated and controlled environments.