Challenges in Docker Development: A Large-scale Study Using Stack Overflow (2008.04467v1)

Abstract: Docker technology has been increasingly used among software developers in a multitude of projects. This growing interest is due to the fact that Docker technology supports a convenient process for creating and building containers, promoting close cooperation between developer and operations teams, and enabling continuous software delivery. As a fast-growing technology, it is important to identify the Docker-related topics that are most popular as well as existing challenges and difficulties that developers face. This paper presents a large-scale empirical study identifying practitioners' perspectives on Docker technology by mining posts from the Stack Overflow (SoF) community. Method: A dataset of 113,922 Docker-related posts was created based on a set of relevant tags and contents. The dataset was cleaned and prepared. Topic modelling was conducted using Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), allowing the identification of dominant topics in the domain. Our results show that most developers use SoF to ask about a broad spectrum of Docker topics including framework development, application deployment, continuous integration, web-server configuration and many more. We determined that 30 topics that developers discuss can be grouped into 13 main categories. Most of the posts belong to categories of application development, configuration, and networking. On the other hand, we find that the posts on monitoring status, transferring data, and authenticating users are more popular among developers compared to the other topics. Specifically, developers face challenges in web browser issues, networking error and memory management. Besides, there is a lack of experts in this domain. Our research findings will guide future work on the development of new tools and techniques, helping the community to focus efforts and understand existing trade-offs on Docker topics.

• The paper analyzes over 113,000 Stack Overflow posts using topic modeling to identify key challenges and areas of discussion in Docker development.
• Key findings reveal 30 topics across 13 categories, highlighting areas like application development and networking as popular, while networking errors and web browser issues are particularly difficult.
• The study suggests a need for increased expertise, improved education, and enhanced tooling to address challenging areas and support the evolving Docker ecosystem.

Challenges in Docker Development: Insights from a Large-scale Study

Docker technology has become a pivotal component in modern software development, appreciated for its capability to seamlessly facilitate containerization. The paper “Challenges in Docker Development: A Large-scale Study Using Stack Overflow,” presents a comprehensive empirical analysis of Docker-related discussions by mining posts from the Stack Overflow (SoF) platform. Over a data set of 113,922 posts, the authors identified key areas of interest and difficulty within Docker technology, revealing insights into the community's challenges and expertise.

Docker has shown remarkable growth and adoption due to its advantages in container management, integration, and facilitation of DevOps practices. Recognizing the significance of this technology, the paper aims to dissect the elements that intrigue developers and those that pose difficulties, through a methodical investigation leveraging Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) for topic modeling.

Key Findings on Docker Topics and Categories

The analysis identified 30 distinct topics grouped into 13 categories, highlighting a spectrum of inquiries regarding Docker development. The major categories include:

• Application Development: Encompassing framework management and data transfer, representing nearly 21% of discussions, indicating developers' focus on leveraging Docker for diverse application types.
• Networking: Addressing critical components such as Networking Error and Container Linking, forming 13% of the posts, signifying the complexity of managing networks within Docker environments.
• Configuration: Covering aspects like Logging and Web Server Configuration, important for the strategic setup of Dockerized applications.
• Basic Concepts: Representing fundamental discussions about Docker technology, suggesting ongoing clarification needs in the community.

These categories encapsulate specific areas such as debugging, resource management, orchestration, and deployment, crucial for Docker-based projects.

Popularity and Difficulty of Docker Topics

The paper further investigates the popularity and difficulty of the identified topics using metrics such as views, scores, and the time taken for questions to receive accepted answers. Notably:

• Most Popular Topics: Include Monitor Status and Data Transfer, revealing areas where community interest is concentrated and solutions are promptly available.
• Most Difficult Topics: Web Browser and Networking Error stand out as challenging, with extended times required to resolve issues, indicating these areas as targets for intense research and improvement.

A negative correlation was found between popularity and difficulty, implying that less popular topics tend to pose more difficulty to the community.

Implications and Future Directions

The paper points out an underlying lack of expertise within the Docker domain compared to broader topics like web development and machine learning, which is contributing to unresolved challenges in areas like memory management and networking errors. The paper suggests that educators and researchers need to channel efforts into nurturing more Docker specialists and refining educational content to bridge the expertise gap.

Furthermore, the paper can guide tool developers to enhance frameworks addressing those challenging areas, thus facilitating widespread adoption and smoother operation within Docker environments. Future research should aim to enhance tooling and offer improved support for underrepresented topics.

Conclusion

By systematically analyzing the diverse challenges faced by Docker practitioners, the paper offers valuable insights into current practices and areas requiring further inquiry or technological enhancement. As container technology continues to evolve, understanding these dynamics becomes crucial for scholars and engineers dedicated to advancing Docker's capabilities and integration within software ecosystems.