Containers in Embedded Systems & Industrial IoT

By Tiitus Aho

The embedded and industrial IoT landscape is undergoing a quiet revolution. Once reserved for cloud-native environments, containers are now finding a firm foothold in embedded Linux devices, edge gateways, and even real-time systems. Their promise of modularity, portability, and simplified updates is compelling—but how far has this transformation really gone, and what should we expect next?

Why Containers Matter in Embedded Systems

As embedded systems evolve to manage increasing connectivity and complexity, developers are turning to modern software paradigms to manage the chaos. Containers, familiar in server and cloud environments, are becoming tools of choice in embedded development.

For Industrial IoT (IIoT), containerized applications bring clear benefits:

• Portability: Build once, run anywhere—from a developer's laptop to a production gateway.
• Modularity: Isolate different services like MQTT brokers, edge analytics, or protocol converters.
• OTA Updates: Push new features or fixes in seconds, with rollback capabilities.
• Security: Sandboxed environments reduce the risk of system-wide compromise.

Containers in embedded systems webinar by Witekio

What Technologies Are Leading?

Docker remains the default in embedded Linux when resources permit. It's well-supported, developer-friendly, and backed by vast community and registry resources. However, alternatives are rising:

• Podman: A rootless, daemon-less alternative, ideal for security-conscious or constrained environments.
• LXC/LXD: Lightweight and low overhead, suited for full OS containers and deep system isolation.
• BalenaEngine: A streamlined Docker fork optimized for IoT.
• Snaps (Ubuntu Core): App containers with strict isolation and long-term support.

Podman container environment

All are based on OCI standards, ensuring cross-compatibility and a consistent ecosystem.

Containers on Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS)? Yes.

Traditionally excluded from container talk, RTOS platforms like VxWorks and QNX now support OCI-compliant containers. These runtimes are optimized for sub-100KB footprints and preserve hard real-time performance, bringing modern DevOps workflows into safety-critical systems.

Emerging solutions like LF Edge's Ocre even bring container-like execution to Zephyr RTOS using WebAssembly.

The takeaway? Containers are no longer just for Linux.

 Use Cases in the Wild

• Edge Gateways: Run AI inference, data filtering, or visualization dashboards as containerized microservices.
• AI on the Edge: NVIDIA Jetson devices natively support Docker, making ML deployment seamless.
• Industrial Automation: Vendors like Siemens and Schneider offer Docker-capable devices to separate core PLC functions from value-added apps.
• IoT Platforms: Azure IoT Edge and AWS Greengrass use containers as core deployment units.
• Even embedded vendors are embracing this shift. For example, Tria Technologies’s SimpleSwitch platform allows containerized apps to run on any of their SMARC modules without software changes. It's a prime example of "write once, deploy anywhere" in embedded hardware.

Simple Switch & Core documentation

 Challenges Still Remain

While container adoption is growing, developers must watch for:

• Resource Constraints: Not all containers are lightweight. Use minimal base images.
• Security: Shared kernels can be a liability. Consider SELinux, read-only filesystems, and rootless modes.
• Real-Time Guarantees: Containers in RTOS must respect timing constraints—choose runtimes carefully.
• Device Access: Managing GPIO, UART, and CAN interfaces within containers requires precision.

 The Road Ahead

The vision is clear: from cloud to microcontroller, containers will play a central role in how embedded applications are built, deployed, and managed.

With support from giants like Wind River, BlackBerry QNX, Microsoft, and Tria Technologies, the container-native embedded stack is no longer experimental—it’s here.

Edge developers: It’s time to start treating your embedded fleet like a cloud-native platform.

 Want to discuss how containers can accelerate your next embedded project? Let’s connect.

#EdgeComputing #IIoT #Containers #Linux #RTOS #Docker #Podman #EmbeddedSystems #IoT #DevOps #Tria Technologies #SimpleSwitch