kontejner

Kontejner is a term used in several languages, including Czech, Polish, Croatian, Serbian, and Slovene, to denote a container—an object designed to hold, store, or transport materials. The concept spans everyday packaging, industrial equipment, and technical jargon. In general, containers are designed to be functional, portable, and, where appropriate, standardized to fit into systems of handling and transport.

In logistics and shipping, a kontejner refers to a shipping container. These are large steel boxes standardized for intermodal transport, enabling seamless transfer between ships, trains, and trucks. The most common sizes are 20-foot and 40-foot containers, measured as TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit). They have standardized corner posts and locking mechanisms to allow stacking, securing, and efficient handling. Containers are designed to be weatherproof, reusable, and recyclable, and they play a central role in global trade.

In information technology, a kontejner also denotes a software container—an OS-level virtualization unit that packages an application with its dependencies in a single, portable unit. Containers enable isolated execution on a shared host OS, improving scalability and deployment speed. Popular implementations include Docker and Kubernetes ecosystems, which rely on container images, registries, and orchestration.

Other uses include laboratory or field containers for samples and reagents, as well as household packaging for food or liquids. Across domains, containers emphasize portability, standardization, and efficient handling, while matching domain-specific requirements for durability, safety, and traceability.