What’s the Difference Between Bind Mounts and Volume Mounts in Docker?

The first example uses a bind mount, which means you're linking a directory from your host file system directly into the container. The second example is creating a named volume, which is managed by Docker itself.

With named volumes, they can be pre-populated with data defined in the image, while bind mounts won't have that data automatically added. This can be crucial for certain applications like WordPress where the directory /var/www/html is a defined VOLUME in the image, ensuring it’s set up correctly when you start your container.

When Docker creates volumes, it makes sure everything is correctly set up automatically, which is super handy! In your WordPress example, if you used a bind mount with an empty folder, the necessary files wouldn't be copied over, leaving you with a blank setup. Using the named volume ensures that all the default WordPress files are in place right from the start.

You're right, both methods have similarities when using local storage, but named volumes offer a lot more flexibility. For example, they can connect to external volume drivers, allowing you to store your data on different types of file servers.

Also, named volumes handle permissions automatically for you, compared to bind mounts where you need to manage those settings yourself.

In summary, it really depends on what you need from your Docker setup. If you just want a simple way to share directories, bind mounts are great. But if you’re looking for persistence and don’t care about the physical location, named volumes are the way to go!