Working with containers on Setonix – 22-23 September 2026

This introductory session provides a practical overview of software containers and their use in high-performance computing (HPC) environments.

Designed for new and existing HPC users, the course introduces the concepts, tools, and workflows for developing, running, and sharing containerized applications. Participants will learn how containers support reproducible research, simplify software deployment, and enable portable scientific workflows across computing systems.

The session will include demonstrations and practical examples using container technologies commonly used on HPC systems.

This session is intended for researchers and HPC users who would like to begin using containers in their computational workflows.

Pre-requisites

• Basic Linux command line experience is recommended.
• Familiarity with using an HPC system is beneficial but not required.

What You Will Learn

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Explain the purpose and benefits of containers in HPC
• Understand the differences between Docker and Apptainer (formerly Singularity)
• Run existing container images on an HPC system
• Apply good practices for using containers in scientific workflows
• Understand how containers integrate with common HPC software and workflows