Getting started with Docker
Tags: docker, tutorial, beginners, devops
Published: 2023-01-20 07:41:35

## What is Docker?

Docker is a platform for developing, shipping, and running applications in containers. Containers are lightweight, portable, and self-sufficient environments that allow developers to package an application with all its dependencies and run it consistently across different environments. Docker provides a command-line interface and API for managing and interacting with containers, as well as tools for building and distributing container images. It is widely used in the software development industry to improve the efficiency and consistency of the development and deployment process.

## Why to use Docker?

![banner](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/76155456/213642263-276b9ed6-764c-4b82-8464-8ae4d04f4532.png)


There are several reasons why developers and organizations use Docker:

- Consistency: Docker allows developers to package an application and its dependencies into a container, which ensures that the application runs consistently across different environments.

- Isolation: Containers provide a level of isolation between the application and the host system, which can improve security and reduce conflicts between different applications running on the same machine.

- Portability: Containers can be easily moved between different environments, such as from a developer's local machine to a staging or production environment, making it easier to manage the application's lifecycle.

- Scalability: Docker allows you to easily run multiple instances of a container, which can be useful for scaling an application horizontally.

- Resource Efficiency: Docker containers are lightweight, which means they use less resources than traditional virtual machines, making it easier to run multiple containers on a single machine.

- Microservices: Docker is widely used in microservices architecture, where each microservice runs in its own container, allowing for better isolation and scalability.

- Community: Docker has a large and active community, which means that there are many resources available for learning and troubleshooting.

## What are Docker Images?

Docker images are the building blocks of containers in Docker. An image is a lightweight, stand-alone, executable package that includes everything needed to run a piece of software, including the code, runtime, system tools, libraries, and settings.

Images are created using the docker build command, which takes a Dockerfile as input. A Dockerfile is a script that contains instructions for building an image, such as specifying the base image, installing dependencies, and configuring the environment. Once an image is built, it can be run as a container using the docker run command.

Docker images are stored in a registry, such as Docker Hub, which is a centralized repository for storing and distributing images. Developers can push their images to a registry and share them with others, or pull images from a registry to use in their own projects.

Docker images are also layered. Each instruction in a Dockerfile creates a new image layer, and each layer is cached. It allows reusing the layer for multiple images. This means that if multiple images use the same base image, only one copy of the base image needs to be stored on the host. This makes images lightweight, and fast to transfer.

## What are Docker Containers?

Docker containers are the instances of Docker images. They are lightweight, standalone, and executable packages that include everything needed to run a piece of software, including the code, runtime, system tools, libraries, and settings.

When you run a container, Docker creates a container object and starts the container process. The container process runs the application and its dependencies inside the container. Containers share the host system's kernel, but they have their own file system, network, and process space.

You can start, stop, move, or delete a container using the docker command-line interface. Containers can also be managed using the Docker API and various tools that integrate with the API.

Containers are isolated from each other and the host system, which means that they can't interfere with other containers or the host system, and vice versa. This isolation provides a level of security, and allows multiple containers to run on the same host without conflicts.

Containers are also ephemeral, which means that they don't persist data or state. Any changes made to a container during its lifetime are lost when the container is deleted. To persist data, you can use Docker Volumes or bind-mounts to connect a container to a directory on the host system.

![docker-gif](https://alphaville.github.io/optimization-engine/img/docker.gif)

This concludes our basic introduction to Docker. Up next, we'll look at how to install Docker on your machine and create a Docker image.

Follow for more.