Docker Unveils 2024 State of Application Development Report

Report highlights rapid shift to cloud development, mainstream AI/ML integration, and growing focus on security and microservices

 

PALO ALTO, Calif. – June 11, 2024 – Docker, Inc.®, a leading provider of cloud-native application development tools, content, and services for developers, today announced the release of its 2024 State of Application Development Report. The comprehensive report provides an in-depth snapshot of the current landscape in software development, reflecting insights from over 1,300 respondents. Now in its second year, the report covers a wide range of topics, including the tools developers use, their processes, frustrations, views on industry trends, participation in developer communities, Docker usage, and much more.

Docker Vice President of Developer Experience Nahid Samsami said: “The key to world-class application development is knowing how to help software development teams maximize their productivity, get the most out of the disruptive, novel technologies at their disposal, and have a great experience while doing so. The findings in this report demonstrate how Docker continuously seeks to address market needs so that we can better empower development teams not just to compete, but to thrive and innovate with the right processes and tools for their workflows.”

Key Findings 

  • Growing reliance on cloud during development: When asked about their main development environments, responses illustrated the increasing shift toward cloud-based environments. While 64% of respondents still primarily develop locally on their laptops or desktops, there is a notable trend toward remote environments with over 36% using tools such as GitHub Codespaces, Gitpod, and Coder.
  • Challenges and opportunities: The report identified key areas where development teams encounter obstacles in the development process, such as planning (31%), estimation (24%), and designing (22%). Additionally, 28% of respondents indicated a need for better planning tools, while 20% reported getting stuck during debugging/troubleshooting and testing phases.
  • Microservices and security: Microservices adoption continues to trend upwards, with nearly three times more respondents transitioning from monolithic architectures to microservices than the reverse. However, the shift-left approach to security remains a challenge, with 34% of responses rating security tasks difficult and 25% seeking better tools for security/vulnerability remediation.
  • Open source contributions: The report underscores the importance of open source software in the developer community, with 59% of respondents contributing to open source projects in the past year. Among those who did not contribute, 72% expressed interest in doing so in the future.
  • AI/ML Integration: And as previously reported in Docker’s precursor findings — AI Trends Report 2024: AI’s Growing Role in Software Development — the integration of AI/ML in development processes is becoming mainstream, with 64% of respondents using AI tools for tasks like writing code, documentation, and research. Junior and mid-level developers, as well as DevOps/Platform Engineers, show higher dependency on AI compared to their senior counterparts. Popular tools include ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, and Gemini (formerly Bard).

About the Docker 2024 State of Application Development Report

Over 1,300 developers were surveyed in the latest 2024 Docker State of Application Development Report, conducted in the fall of 2023. The online survey collected data on the tools used by developers, their application development processes, challenges, opinions on industry trends, Docker usage, and engagement in developer communities. Out of the 1,300 participants, 885 successfully completed the survey. The insights discussed in this report are derived from the responses of these 885 participants. 

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About Docker

Docker drives modern software development by making it easy to adopt container technology to radically boost productivity, security, testing, and collaboration at every step of the developer experience. Embraced by more than 20 million developers worldwide, Docker’s unmatched flexibility and choice make it the preferred tool for developers seeking efficiency and innovation for creating modern applications. Learn more about Docker at www.docker.com.

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