What is Docker Network Host?

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Introduction

Docker is a platform as a service for deploying applications in Docker containers. Containers are software “packages” that bundle together an application’s source code with its libraries, configurations, and dependencies, helping software run more consistently and reliably on different machines.

To start using Docker containers, you need to be familiar with Docker networking. Below, we’ll answer the question: “what is Docker network host?”.

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In Docker, the host is a machine responsible for running one or more containers. Docker network host, also known as Docker host networking, is a networking mode in which a Docker container shares its network namespace with the host machine.

The application inside the container can be accessed using a port at the host’s IP address (e.g., port 80).

Below is an example Docker command to run a container in host networking mode:

docker run -it --name web2 --net=host vaibhavthakur/docker:webinstance2

What are the Use Cases of Docker Network Host?

Why use Docker host networking mode? Docker network host can offer performance improvements and optimizations over other Docker networking modes, e.g., “none” and “bridge” modes. In addition, Docker host networking does not require network address translation (NAT), making it easier to handle a large number of ports simultaneously. However, users need to take care to avoid port conflicts while working in Docker host networking mode.

For more information about the various Docker network options, check out our article “Understanding Docker’s -net=host Option.”

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How MetricFire Can Help!

MetricFire is a cloud infrastructure and application monitoring platform that makes it easy to manage and monitor your Docker containers. To learn more, check out the Docker posts on our blog, or get in touch with us today to chat about your situation and a free trial of the MetricFire platform.