Docker

Docker is an open-source platform that automates the deployment, scaling, and management of applications by using containerization technology. It allows developers to package an application and its dependencies (libraries, configuration files, etc.) into a single, lightweight, and portable container. These containers can run consistently across different environments, simplifying application development, testing, and deployment.

Docker provides the following features.

Containerization

Docker uses containerization to isolate applications and their dependencies into separate, self-contained units. This approach ensures that each application runs in a consistent environment, reducing conflicts and improving security.

Image Management

Docker images are templates used to create containers. They are lightweight and can be easily shared, stored, and versioned. Docker Hub, the official public registry, hosts thousands of pre-built images for various programming languages, frameworks, and tools.

Portability

Docker containers can run on any system that supports Docker, regardless of the underlying infrastructure or platform. This makes it easy to deploy and migrate applications across different environments, such as development, testing, and production.

Scalability

Docker enables horizontal scaling of applications by allowing you to deploy multiple instances of the same container. This approach can help distribute the load across multiple resources and improve application performance.

Version Control

Docker images can be versioned and stored in registries, making it easy to rollback, upgrade, or downgrade applications as needed. This also facilitates collaboration among team members, as they can share and use the same image versions.

Ecosystem

Docker has a rich ecosystem of tools and services and many third-party tools and plugins integrate with Docker to extend its functionality.

Managing Containers

Docker containers can be managed with Kubernetes, a popular open-source container orchestration platform. Kubernetes is designed to automate the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications, including Docker containers.

Kubernetes provides features such as automatic scaling, self-healing, and load balancing. Kubernetes can manage Docker containers running on a single host or across a cluster of hosts, abstracting away the underlying infrastructure and providing a consistent and scalable platform for running containerized workloads.

Technologies such as Docker Swarm, Apache Mesos, Nomad, and OpenShift perform similar functions to Kubernetes.

Installation

The installation process for Docker depends on your operating system. Follow the instructions below based on your platform.

Docker Installation

Common Files

When working with Docker, you’ll encounter several common files.

Dockerfile

File used to define the steps required to build a Docker image.

Dockerfile contains instructions such as

FROM - specifies the base image to use
RUN - runs commands to install dependencies and set up the environment
COPY - copies files from the host machine into the image
CMD - specifies the command to run when the container is started

docker-compose.yml

Defines and runs multi-container Docker applications.

docker-compose.yml allows developers to define the services that make up the application, their dependencies, and how they are connected. This file can be used to start, stop, and manage containers in a multi-container application.

.dockerignore

Like .gitignore in Git repositories, .dockerignore is used to specify files and directories that should be excluded from the Docker build context.

By excluding unnecessary files and directories, the Docker build process is faster and more efficient.

Dockerfile.dev

Dockerfile.dev is a Dockerfile variant for development environments.

It contains additional instructions for setting up a development environment, such as installing development tools and enabling debugging.