Re: postgresql in docker to improve security

interesting points @Kashif.

On the other hand I often, that containers are by design ephemeral  and tend to crash. This would be a threat to data integrity (allegedly more then running in a VM i.e.).

Admittedly the environment I am working in is not very open to, nor experienced with container-technology in general, so these claims might be based on hearsay and those issues might not be actual problems any more these days.

Any thoughts on that?


Also I made a mark in my mind head thad podman, by design, was just a little more secure then Docker. I think it was due to the fact Containers can run without the need of requiring root privileges for the user running a podman container.

On 5/3/24 5:23 AM, Kashif Zeeshan wrote:

Hi

Yes docker container improves the security and following are the ways it does.

1. Isolation : When you run postgres in a container, you are isolating it from host os and other containers so it limits the attack surface.

2. Port mapping : By mapping only the necessary container port and allowing access only using that port limits the attack surface.

3. You can manage the access privileges of the users that run container

4. Docker containers use namespaces for process isolation and security.

Regards

Kashif Zeeshan

Bitnine Global

On Fri, May 3, 2024 at 3:44 AM Nguyen, Long (IM&T, St. Lucia) <Long.Nguyen@csiro.au> wrote:

Good day. This is a general db question.

 

I start exploring containerisation and start learning docker.  Would having postgresql in docker improve security in the sense that users could only access to the db through the port mapped to the environment outside of docker, and if they somehow are able to hack and access outside the db, the access is limited within the container not the OS that host the container.

 

Thanks.

On 5/3/24 5:23 AM, Kashif Zeeshan wrote:

Hi

Yes docker container improves the security and following are the ways it does.

1. Isolation : When you run postgres in a container, you are isolating it from host os and other containers so it limits the attack surface.

2. Port mapping : By mapping only the necessary container port and allowing access only using that port limits the attack surface.

3. You can manage the access privileges of the users that run container

4. Docker containers use namespaces for process isolation and security.

Regards

Kashif Zeeshan

Bitnine Global

On Fri, May 3, 2024 at 3:44 AM Nguyen, Long (IM&T, St. Lucia) <Long.Nguyen@csiro.au> wrote:

Good day. This is a general db question.

 

I start exploring containerisation and start learning docker.  Would having postgresql in docker improve security in the sense that users could only access to the db through the port mapped to the environment outside of docker, and if they somehow are able to hack and access outside the db, the access is limited within the container not the OS that host the container.

 

Thanks.