What is a codec? What is the difference between a codec and a container?

What is a codec? What is the difference between a codec and a container?

    According to the article, a codec is the order used to layout the data of an audio or video file in such a way that it can be used for playing, editing, or transcoding. This process is coding and decoding, which is where the word "codec" comes from. The purpose is to make the file sizes much more manageable to allow you to do what was previously listed by compressing the information before decompressing for usage. While a codec organizes the data, a container is what holds the information, such as audio, video, and other information, together. Containers have file extensions such as .mov or .mp3. Some containers only work with specific codecs, like the .mpg with MPEG files, and some work with a variety, such as the .mov container.