Docker and Container Essentials

Containers have become an incredibly popular and influential technology that brings significant changes from legacy applications. Everyone, from tech companies to big corporations and end users, not has widely embraced containers to handle their day-to-day tasks. It’s worth noting that the conventional method of installing ready-made commercial applications is gradually transforming into fully containerized setups. Considering the sheer magnitude of this technological shift, it becomes essential for people working in the field of information technology to gain knowledge and understand the concept of containers.

This chapter will provide an overview of the issues that containers aim to solve. We will begin by highlighting the significance of containers. Then, we will introduce Docker, the runtime that played a pivotal role in the rise of containerization, and discuss its relationship with Kubernetes.

This chapter intends to provide you with an understanding of running containers in Docker. One common question you may have heard is: “What is the relationship of Docker to Kubernetes?” Well, in today’s world, Docker is not tied to Kubernetes at all – you do not need Docker to run Kubernetes and you don’t need it to create containers. We are discussing Docker in this chapter to provide you with the skills to run containers locally and test your images before you deploy them to a Kubernetes cluster.

By the end of this chapter, you will have a clear understanding of how to install Docker and how to effectively utilize the commonly used Docker command-line interface (CLI) commands.

In this chapter, we will cover the following main topics:

• Understanding the need for containerization
• Understanding why Kubernetes removed Docker
• Understanding Docker
• Installing Docker
• Using the Docker CLI