For teams new to containers, one of the biggest challenges is security. It’s not that containers are less secure than VMs - the opposite is true in fact! But containers, and the hosts they run on, require a new approach to security that isn’t always easy to adopt.

In this guide - we break down the first steps to getting started with containers securely - configuring your host. The Twistlock Guide on How to Securely Configure a Linux Host to Run Containers outlines the steps necessary to configure a host machine to securely run Docker containers, including:

• Using a minimal OS installation and selectively adding necessary services
• Configuring host security settings to harden and protect against unauthorized access
• Sensible default settings and configuration defaults for running a Docker Engine
• Ensuring the host is integrated with existing systems like SIEM and enterprise directories