3.3. Pros/Cons: Modulefiles

To learn more about Modulefiles or to find links to CRCD's documentation, see Chapter 6.3!

Environment Modules (or Modulefiles) are a system for dynamically modifying user environments via modulefiles. They are heavily used in HPC environments to load software environments on-demand without needing root privileges.

Pros:

• Lightweight: No overhead from containerization.
• HPC Optimized: Designed specifically for HPC environments, often with pre-built software optimized for the specific cluster. Easily the most optimized technology.
• Flexible: Allows for loading different software versions, easy to use and understand in HPC.

Cons:

• Not Portable: Modules are often tightly coupled to the cluster’s software stack, making them difficult to reproduce elsewhere.
• Manual Management: Requires explicit loading/unloading, making it less automated compared to container technologies.
• Complex and Administrator Dependent: You may need administrator intervention to add or modify system modules.