[azernik]

virtualenv only works if you want an isolated Python environment. What if you have two things that each want a set of .so libraries with incompatible versions, and one wants node.js? In theory this could be managed with something like NixOS, but containerization is the much more mature and flexible solution.

[takeda]

In that situation you can use LD_LIBRARY_PATH, that's what it is for.

But what you really want in that case is to link the application statically. If you don't want to have benefits of shared objects:

- smaller binary - memory savings (if multiple programs are using the same library, it is loaded once) - less files to patch to fix a security vulnerability

The share objects have these features but it comes at price of lower performance, so by putting all .so files into a single docker file instead of statically compiling your application you're getting worst out of both worlds.

[icebraining]

Loading .so files doesn't mean the language can be statically compiled.

[xorcist]

How is that a problem? That's bascially the same thing as installing a newer set of tools under your home directory, and using them for an application. This has been done since long before Linux.

(Containers are still good, for isolating concerns and management. Multiple versions of the same library is just not it.)