Linux namespaces
Namespaces are a feature of the Linux kernel that partition kernel resources such that one set of processes sees one set of resources while another set of processes sees a different set of resources. The feature works by having the same namespace for a set of resources and processes, but those namespaces refer to distinct resources. Resources may exist in multiple spaces. Examples of such resources are process IDs, host-names, user IDs, file names, some names associated with network access, and Inter-process communication.
| Original author(s) | Al Viro |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Eric W. Biederman, Pavel Emelyanov, Al Viro, Cyrill Gorcunov et al. |
| Initial release | 2002 |
| Written in | C |
| Operating system | Linux |
| Type | System software |
| License | GPL and LGPL |
Namespaces are a fundamental aspect of containers in Linux.
The term "namespace" is often used to denote a specific type of namespace (e.g. process ID) as well as for a particular space of names.
A Linux system begins with a single namespace of each type, used by all processes. Processes can create additional namespaces and also join different namespaces.