A new Habitat for applications? Chef launches open source app automation project

Sounds useful ...

From an application's perspective - 'Let me wrap my arms around you. I'll keep you safe and healthy". Almost motherly (or fatherly).

And how long before Chef gets bought up by one of the big predators out there, and those loving arms start to rifle the applications' metaphoric pockets for information that can be monetized?

So looked at the documentation and this feels like rpm for docker. Sure it's cool for those in a space where they're not reliant on old school applications but I'm struggling to see its use in traditional organisations.

I'll learn how to use it mind, one day I may work at one of those companies.

What about containers ?

"A Habitat package includes the software and all its dependencies and configuration options."

So it's the same as a container.

What's the difference with the Habitat supervisor and a container orchestrator then ?

How is Habitat different than Docker?

I watched the videos, did the tutorial, read the docs, read the tech site stories but I still don't see why I would use Habitat over the current Docker workflow and ecosystem (including third party) for building, shipping and deploying applications. Both are a type of packaging that puts the application, its dependencies and configuration in a bundle that can run exactly the same everywhere. Docker has Dockerfiles and docker-compose.yml files, Habitat has plan files (seems like a shell script, Dockerfiles and compose files are much simpler). Docker has a central repository/registry "docker hub", habitat has depots. "docker run redis" == "hab start core/redis", etc... etc...

The docs/articles say habitat apps can run in containers, but why bother if your app can already be run in a container that achieves the same thing with even greater isolation (cgroups). Why put a self contained app in a self contained container application?

I'm not trying to put down Habitat, I'm trying to understand its role. As I currently see it, why would I choose this over the more mature Docker environment with a massive established ecosystem and user base?

Again I'm just trying to understand what I'm missing, if I'm missing something please point me in the right direction.