How long has LXC been around?

4. April 2025 | Linux Containers | Docker | LXC | runc

LXC has been around since about 2008! 🚀

It was developed as part of the Linux kernel’s growing support for cgroups (control groups) and namespaces, which allow process isolation — two key ingredients for containers.

So timeline-wise:

  • 2006–2008: Linux kernel gets namespaces and cgroups features.

  • Around 2008: LXC appears as a practical container manager built on top of those features.

  • Early 2010s: Docker shows up (2013) and makes containers even more famous, initially using LXC underneath.