Docker Tutorial: A Step-by-Step Tutorial for Beginners

The aim of this Docker tutorial is to teach you the basics of Docker. Additionally, we will dive into more concepts such as virtualization, containerization, the need for Docker, Docker architecture, Docker installation, Docker images, and so on.

Table of Contents

• Module 1: What is Docker?
• Module 2: What is Containerization?
• Module 3: What is the use of Docker in DevOps?
• Module 4: Features of Docker
• Module 5: Advantages and Disadvantages of Docker
• Module 6: Docker Architecture
• Module 7: How to Install Docker on Windows, MacOS, and Linux?
• Module 8: How Does Docker Work? (Docker Workflow)
• Module 9: Docker Commands
• Module 10: Dockerfile
• Module 11: Docker Networking
• Module 12: Docker Volumes and Management
• Module 13: Docker Compose
• Module 14: Docker Swarm
• Module 15: Docker Machine
• Module 16: Career for Docker Experts

Module 1: What is Docker?

In other words, Docker is a free tool that makes the DevOps methodology easy by allowing developers or Docker experts to maintain consistency, automate infrastructure, deploy applications in isolated spaces, and improve resource utilization. Using Docker, developers can convert raw code into a portable template called a “Docker image,” which they can later use to create lightweight, portable, and isolated environments called “Docker containers.”

Explore this concept further with the help of this video.

You might think that if tasks related to deployment or the SDLC were being performed on individual machines/servers or using the concept of virtualization, then why should we choose Docker over these methods? The reason is that Docker uses containerization methodology and hence, it is also considered as one of the most popular containerization tools. So, let us understand containerization in detail.

Module 2: What is Containerization in DevOps?

Containerization is a technology user in the Docker tool that allows you to package an application and all its dependencies (such as libraries, frameworks, and settings) into a single unit called an image, which is further run in an isolated space within your system called a container.  This container can run consistently on any system, regardless of the underlying environment. Let me bring up this very clearly, containerization and virtualization or Docker and Virtual machines are not the same. Let’s check how these are different.

We can easily figure out the difference from the architecture of containers given below:

In order to create and run containers on our host OS, we require software that enables us to do so. This is where Docker comes into the picture.

Docker vs Virtual Machine

There is always a discussion about choosing the environment for hosting an application, whether to go with Docker or Virtual Machines.

Module 3: What is the use of Docker in DevOps?

We have adopted Docker in DevOps due to its features and versatility. Let’s understand its significance by comparing Traditional Deployment and Docker Deployment.

Traditional Deployment

In traditional deployment, there is a huge gap between the development team and the operations team. The code that works well on the developer’s computer does not work exactly on the tester’s machine. This is due to the different environment settings or configurations of their machines. So, in traditional deployment, everyone has to manually configure each machine by installing the necessary software, libraries, and settings in the same way. This approach is time-consuming and has a higher chance of errors, as different departments are involved in production environments.

Docker Deployment

In Docker deployment, developers just need to bind the raw code, libraries, and configuration files all together as one unit, which is called a Docker image, and send it to the people who also want to use that code. In this case, there is no need for the other people to set up the environment manually on their PC, as the image initially shared by the developer has the code, libraries, and other important files required to run that code. This is how Docker becomes helpful for easy shipping of code and its deployment.
Let’s explore more features of Docker in simple terms.

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Module 4: Features of Docker

• Docker containers work the same on any computer or server.
• Containers are smaller and use less memory than virtual machines.
• You can start or stop apps in seconds with Docker.
• Each app runs in its own space without interfering with others. These features give us different advantages, but at the same time, we have some limitations of Docker too.

Module 5: Advantages and Disadvantages of Docker

Let’s explore the advantages and disadvantages of Docker.

Advantages	Disadvantages
Containers use less memory and CPU compared to virtual machines.	Managing many containers at the same time is complex and may require other tools like Kubernetes.
Docker containers work the same on any system.	At the same time, containers depend on the Docker being installed, so not all systems can support them easily.
Docker helps to package and deploy applications quickly.	Debugging and monitoring containers is harder than traditional setups.

Module 6: Docker Architecture

Docker uses a client-server architecture. The Docker client consists of Docker build, Docker pull, and Docker run. The client approaches the Docker daemon which further helps in building, running, and distributing Docker containers. Docker client and Docker daemon can be operated on the same system; otherwise, we can connect the Docker client to the remote Docker daemon. Both communicate with each other by using the REST API, over UNIX sockets or a network.

Learn from the docker architecture diagram.

Docker Client

The Docker Client serves as the primary interface for interacting with the Docker Engine. It provides a user-friendly command-line interface (CLI) that enables users to execute various operations, such as building, running, managing, and deleting Docker images and containers. The Docker Client acts as a bridge between the user and the underlying Docker Engine. This helps in, translating user commands into instructions that the Docker Engine can understand and execute.

Key Functions of the Docker Client

Manage Containers: Run, create, stop, start, and delete containers effortlessly with intuitive commands. For instance, docker run, docker stop, and docker rm are some basic commands to manage containers.

Work with Images: Pull, push, build, and manage Docker images using commands like docker pull, docker push, docker build, and docker rmi. These commands help you handle the blueprints for your containers.

Control Networks and Volumes: Create and manage networks for your containers and handle data persistence using volumes. Commands like docker network and docker volume come in handy for these tasks.

View System Information: Check the status of your Docker environment, see running containers, monitor resources, and troubleshoot using commands like docker ps, docker info, and docker stats.

Docker Host

Docker host is a machine where Docker is installed. In the Docker host, we have a Docker daemon and Docker objects such as docker containers and docker images. First, let us understand the objects on the Docker host, and then we will proceed toward the functioning of the Docker daemon.

Let us understand Docker objects like Docker Images and Docker Container with the Swiggy Box Analogy:

Docker Image

Imagine the Docker image is like a restaurant’s menu. It defines exactly what ingredients and recipes are needed to make a meal (your application). The Docker image includes all the required software and dependencies (like the ingredients), ready to be packaged into a box. Docker image is a template that contains the libraries, dependencies, and code that can be used for creating Docker containers to run your application code within it. 

Docker Container

The container is like the Swiggy box that holds the meal (your application) and delivers it to your home (your machine). When you order food (run a Docker container), the restaurant (the Docker engine) packages the meal in a box (container) and sends it to you. The Docker container is based on the Docker image, which defines everything the application needs to run—just like a food delivery box that includes all the necessary ingredients, no matter where it’s delivered. To understand Docker containers in-depth, read “What is Docker Container?”.

Running the Container:

When you order food (run the Docker container), it gets delivered to your home (your computer). You can open the box (accessing the container), and everything you need is inside.

Docker daemon

Docker daemon helps in listening requests for the Docker API and in managing Docker objects such as images, containers, volumes, etc. Daemon issues building an image based on a user’s input and then saving it in the registry.

In case we do not want to create an image, then we can simply pull an image from the Docker hub, which might be built by some other user. In case we want to create a running instance of our Docker image, then we need to issue a run command that would create a Docker container. A Docker daemon can communicate with other daemons to manage Docker services.

Docker Registry (Docker Hub)

The Docker registry is a repository for Docker images that are used for creating Docker containers. We can use private registries like ACR, ECR, JFrog, Harbor, or the most popular official registry Docker Hub.

Docker Hub is an online cloud-based container registry where anyone can save and share Docker images.  You just need to create an account on https://hub.docker.com/, and you are ready to store your images. You can find various pre-built images at https://docs.docker.com/trusted-content/official-images/, which are ready to be pulled into your environment.

Now that we are through the Docker architecture and understand how Docker works, let us get started with the installation and workflow of Docker and implement important Docker commands.

Docker can be installed as Docker Engine and Docker Desktop. It is your choice, which Docker you want to use. Let’s understand the process of installing both of them.

Docker Engine

Docker Engine manages containers on your system. DE  is a docker daemon and CLI used for the Linux environment.  It’s comprised of a daemon process, REST API, and a CLI to interact with the docker daemon.

Daemon Process

The Daemon Process is the process run by the Docker Engine. This process continuously listens for requests from clients and manages the containers. Request can be handling tasks like creating, running, stopping, and deleting containers.

REST API

This API acts as a language for other programs to talk to the Docker daemon, giving instructions on what actions to perform.

Command Line Interface (CLI) Client

The Docker CLI is the tool you interact with to control the Docker daemon.
To install Docker Engine, you can visit https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/.

Docker Desktop

Docker Engine is also available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, through Docker Desktop. In addition to the docker CLI from Engine, Docker Desktop includes a graphical interface for managing your containers.

For installing Docker on Windows and macOS, the process is quite simple. All we have to do is download and install Docker from Download Docker, which includes Docker client, Docker machine, Compose (Mac only), Kitematic, and VirtualBox.

Installation on MAC OS:

Step 1: Check System Requirements

Before installing Docker, ensure your Mac meets the necessary requirements. You need MacOS Yosemite 10.10.3 or newer.

Step 2: Download Docker Desktop

Visit the official Docker website (docker.com) and navigate to the Docker Desktop page. Click on the download button for MacOS.

Step 3: Install Docker

Once the download completes, open the Docker.dmg file. Drag the Docker icon to the Applications folder to install Docker on your Mac.

Step 4: Launch Docker

Locate Docker in your Applications folder and double-click to open it. You might be asked to grant permissions for installation, by following the on-screen instructions.

Step 5: Login to Docker

After launching Docker, you’ll be asked to sign in using your Docker Hub credentials. You can create one for free if you don’t have an account.

Installation on Windows:

Step 1: Visit: https://docs.docker.com/desktop/install/windows-install/. Check system requirements before you proceed with the installation.

Step 2: Launch the Docker Desktop application that you have just downloaded.

Click OK.

Installation on Linux:

To install Docker on the Ubuntu distribution, first, we need to update its packages. To do so, type the below command in the terminal:

sudo apt-get update

As we are using this command on sudo, after we hit Enter, it may ask for a password. Provide the password and then follow the steps given further in this Docker tutorial.

Now, we must install its recommended packages. For that, just type the below-mentioned command:

sudo apt-get install docker.io -y

The Docker installation process is complete now. Use the below-mentioned command to verify if Docker is installed correctly.

docker --version

You will get an output as “Docker version <followed by version>”.This means that Docker has been started successfully.

Module 8: How Does Docker Work? (Docker Workflow)

Docker’s typical local workflow allows users to create images, pull images, publish images, and run containers.

Let us understand this typical local workflow from the diagram below:

Dockerfile, here, consists of the configuration and the name of the image pulled from a Docker registry such as a Docker hub. This file basically helps in building an image from it, which includes the instructions about container configuration, or it can be an image pulled from a Docker registry.

Let us understand this process in a little detailed way:

• It basically involves building an image from a Dockerfile that consists of instructions about container configuration or image pulling from a Docker registry.
• When this image is built in our Docker environment, then we should be able to run the image, which, further, creates a container.
• In our container, we can do any operations such as:
  • Stopping the container
  • Starting the container
  • Restarting the container
• These runnable containers can be started, stopped, or restarted just like how we operate a virtual machine or a computer.
• Whatever manual changes, such as configurations or software installations, are made, these changes in a container can be committed to making a new image, which can, further, be used for creating a container from it later.
• At last, when we want to share our image with our team or the world, we can easily push our image into the Docker registry.
• One can easily pull this image from the Docker registry using the pull command.

Module 9: Docker Commands

Here is a list of the most commonly used Docker commands when working with Docker.

Docker Run Command

After the installation of Docker, we should be able to run the containers. Initially, we don’t get a container so we need to create our first container. It is only possible if you have a docker image. However, if you don’t have a docker image, we can run a simple “hello-world” container to cross-check if everything is working properly. For that, run the below-mentioned command:

docker run hello-world

Output:

Hello from Docker!

This message shows that the installation appears to be working correctly. Now, let us move forward in this Docker tutorial to understand many other Docker operations.

Pulling an Image from the Docker Registry

The easiest way to obtain an image, to build a container from, is to find an already prepared image from Docker’s official website.

We can choose from various common software, such as MySQL, Node.js, Java, Nginx, or WordPress, on the Docker hub as well as from the hundreds of open-source images made by common people around the globe.

For example, if we want to download the image for MySQL, then we can use the pull command:

docker pull mysql

In case we want the exact version of the image, then we can use:

docker pull mysql:5.5.45

To check the output, try the below-mentioned command:

docker images

When we run this command, we can observe the created image with the repository name mysql.

Output:

REPOSITORY TAG IMAGE VIRTUAL SIZE<none&gt <none> 4b9b8b27fb42 214.4 MB
mysql 5.5.45 0da0b10c6fd8 213.5 MB

Now, in this Docker Tutorial, we shall customize an image manually by installing software or by changing configurations. After completion, we can run the Docker commit command to create an image of the running container.

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Running a container using MySQL image

In order to run a Docker container, all we need to do is use the run command followed by our local image name or the one we retrieved from the Docker hub.

Usually, a Docker image requires some added environment variables, which can be specified with the -ite option. For long-running processes, such as daemons, we also need to use the -d option.

To run an “intellipaat_container” container, we need to run the command shown below, which runs a container using MySQL image.

docker run -it -d –name container_name mysql:5.5.45

Listing Containers

We have already seen, in this Docker tutorial, how to list the running containers using the ps command, but now what we want is to list all the containers, regardless of their state. Well, to do that, all we have to do is add the -a option as shown below:

docker ps -a

Now, we can easily distinguish between which container we want to start with and which container we want to remove.

To List All the Running Containers:

docker ps

This command lists all of our running processes, images, the name they are created from, the command that is run, ports that the software is listening on, and the name of the container.

We can figure out, from the above output, that the name of the container is eloquent_darwin, which is an auto-generated one.

When we want to explicitly name the container, the best practice is to use the –name option that inserts the name of our choice at the container startup:

docker run -it -d --name intellipaat-container ubuntu

We can easily name our container with this command.

Stopping and Starting Containers

Once we have our Docker container up and running, we can use it by typing the docker stop command with the container name as shown below:

docker stop eloquent_darwin

In case we want to run our container again from the state in which we shut it down, we can use the start command as our entire container is written on a disk:

docker start eloquent_darwin

Now, let us see how we can tag an image.

Tagging an Image

Once we have our image up and running, we can tag it with a username, image name, and version number before we push it into the repository by using the docker tag command:

docker tag centos docker6767/mycentos

Now, in this Docker Tutorial, let us see how we can push an image into the repository.

Pushing an Image into the Repository

Now, we are ready to push our image into the Docker hub for anyone to use it via a private repository.

• First, go to https://hub.docker.com/ and create a free account
• Next, log in to the account using the login command:

docker login

• Then, input the username, password, and email address that we are registered with
• Finally, push our image, with our username, image, and version name, by using the push command.

Within a few minutes, we will receive a message about our repository stating that our repository has been successfully pushed.

When we go back to our Docker hub account, we will see that there is a new repository as shown below:

Removing Containers

After using a container, we would usually want to remove it rather than have it lying around consuming disk space.

We can use the rm command to remove a container as shown below:

docker rm eloquent_darwin

Removing Images

We already know how to list all the locally cached images by using the images command. These cached images can occupy a significant amount of space, so in order to free up some space by removing unwanted images, we can use the rmi command as shown below:

docker rmi cetntos

Exposing Ports

Use the below command to expose a container to a specific port:

docker run -it -d –name container1 -p 81:80 ubuntu

Listing Processes

To display processing in a container, we can use the top command in Docker, which is very similar to the top command in Linux.

docker top

Executing Commands

To execute commands in a running container, we can use the exec command. For example, if we want to list the contents of the root of the hard drive, we can use the exec command as shown below:

docker exec

We can gain access to the bash shell if we wish to ssh as root into the container. To do so, we can use the following command:

docker exec -it container_name bash

Note: All communications between Docker clients and Docker daemons are secure since they are already encrypted.

This video will provide more clarity on the subject.

Module 10: Dockerfile

A Dockerfile contains all the instructions, e.g., the Linux commands to install and configure the software. Dockerfile creation, as we already know, is the primary way of generating a Docker image. When we use the build command to create an image, it can refer to a Dockerfile available on our path or to a URL such as the GitHub repository.

Instructions: The instructions in a Dockerfile are executed in the same order as they are found in the Dockerfile.

In order to create a Dockerfile, follow these steps:

• • Create a new file and name it “Dockerfile”.
  • Write the below script inside this Dockerfile.

FROM ubuntu
RUN apt-get update
RUN apt-get install -y apache2

• • Save this file. This Dockerfile script pulls the Ubuntu base image, updates the package lists, and attempts to install the Apache2 server.

There can also be comments starting with the # character in the Dockerfile.

The following table contains the list of instructions available:

Module 11: Docker Networking

Docker networking allows containers to communicate with each other and with the outside world. Understanding Docker networking is crucial for building multi-container applications.

Network drivers

Bridge

It is the default network driver used for standalone container communication.

Host

It is responsible for maintaining isolation between the container and the Docker host network.

Overlay

An overlay is used for connecting multiple Docker daemons together.

Macvlan

Used for assigning a MAC address to a container.

None

Disables all networking for a container.

Listing and inspecting networks

List networks
docker network ls

Inspect a network
docker network inspect bridge

Creating custom networks
docker network create –driver bridge my-network

Connecting containers to networks

1. Connect a running container to a network:
docker network connect my-custom-network my-container

2. Disconnect a container from a network:
docker network disconnect my-custom-network my-container

Module 12: Docker Volumes and Management

By default, any data created inside a docker container is lost when the container is removed. To overcome this issue, Docker provides volumes and bind mount to retain data and share it with other containers is required.

Types of data persistence in Docker

Volumes

Bind mounts

tmpfs mounts

Stored in the host system’s memory only.

Working with Docker volumes

Below are a few Docker volume commands tailored for an Intellipaat-named volume:

Create a volume 
docker volume create intellipaat-vol

List volumes
docker volume ls

Inspect the volume
docker volume inspect intellipaat-vol

Remove the volume
docker volume rm intellipaat-vol

Run a container with the volume: 
docker run -v intellipaat-vol:/app/data nginx

Working with Bind Mounts

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Module 13: Docker Compose

Docker Compose is a tool that is used for running and managing multiple Docker containers at once. We just need to create one simple YAML file and define all the requirements like the services, networks, and storage configurations that your app needs to run properly.

Docker Compose working: The Docker Compose file

Syntax of Compose file:

This Compose file sets up a simple (Nginx web server and a PostgreSQL database with basic configurations.

version: Specifies the version of Docker Compose syntax to use.
services: Defines the different containers (services) in your application.
web: A service using the nginx image, exposing port 80.
db: A service using the Postgres image with an environment variable to set the database password. 

docker-machine create –d virtualbox intellipaat

docker-machine ls

docker-machine start intellipaat

docker –machine env intellipaat
eval “$(docker-machine env intellipaat)”

docker-machine stop intellipaat