What is the difference between volumes and simple directory binding on the host?

Difference in the way of managing the lifecycle and data.

Feature	Volumes	Bind Mounts
Location	Managed by Docker, usually in /var/lib/docker/volumes	Can be any directory on the host filesystem
Management	Created and managed by Docker, easier to backup and migrate	Docker simply references an existing directory
Performance	Usually more performant, as they do not depend on the host filesystem structure and can use better drivers	Depends on the host filesystem performance
Portability	More portable between different hosts and OS	Less portable, as the path may differ
Initialization	Can be initialized with data from an image	Not initialized with data from an image
Examples of use	Storage of databases, logs	Shared use of configuration files, source code

Volumes are preferred for storing data that requires long-term preservation and high performance. Bind mounts are convenient for quick access to host files, for example, during development.