8.2.3 Volume Drivers
A focused guide to Volume Drivers, connecting core concepts with practical Docker and container operations.
Volume drivers determine how and where a volume's actual data is physically stored and managed, with the local driver serving as Docker's default for storage on the same host, alongside other drivers supporting more advanced scenarios like networked or cloud-backed storage.
The Default Local Driver
Without specifying otherwise, a volume uses the local driver, storing its data directly on the host machine where the Docker daemon runs.
docker volume create mydata
docker volume inspect mydata --format '{{.Driver}}'
This reports local, the default driver used unless something else is explicitly specified.
Specifying an Alternative Volume Driver
A different driver can be specified explicitly, typically provided through a Docker plugin supporting a specific storage backend.
docker volume create --driver some-network-storage-plugin networked-volume
Why Alternative Volume Drivers Exist
Beyond simple local storage, alternative drivers support scenarios such as networked storage accessible from multiple hosts, or integration with a specific cloud provider's storage service, extending volumes beyond what local, single-host storage alone can provide.
docker volume create --driver rexray/ebs cloud-volume
A driver like this might allow a volume's data to be backed by a cloud provider's block storage service, supporting more advanced deployment scenarios.
When the Default Local Driver Is Sufficient
For the typical case of a single-host deployment where data only needs to persist on that same host, the default local driver is entirely sufficient, with no need to consider alternative drivers at all.
docker volume create app-data
Why Understanding Volume Drivers Matters
Recognizing that volumes support different underlying drivers, beyond the commonly used default, clarifies how Docker's volume abstraction can extend to more advanced storage scenarios when genuinely needed, while confirming that the simple, default local driver remains entirely appropriate for the large majority of typical single-host use cases.