title: What is a container manifest?
body: <p>The only <a href="https://docs.docker.com/registry/spec/manifest-v2-2/" rel="noreferrer">doc</a> on this topic seems to assume I already know what a manifest is, the problem it solves, and how it fits into the docker ecosystem. After reading the doc I'm still not sure how manifests actually work.</p>
  
  <p>My private GCR contains manifest files- don't really understand their purpose. Does docker hub also use manifest files? I can see they contain the layers and hashes of each layer, but I'm still unclear on how docker generates/uses them.</p>
  
  <p>What is the purpose of a container manifest?</p>