What is the primary benefit of using Docker in software development?

The primary benefit of using Docker in software development is that it ensures applications run consistently across different environments. This consistency is achieved through containerization, where applications and all their dependencies are packaged together into a single container. This means that developers can create an application that works perfectly on their local machine, and it will run the same way in a testing or production environment, regardless of the underlying infrastructure. This eliminates the common issues developers face with "it works on my machine" scenarios, making deployment and collaboration easier and more reliable.

The ability to maintain consistency across various environments leads to significant benefits in terms of debugging, scaling, and managing applications, which are critical factors in modern software development practices.