Docker: Up & Running, 2nd Edition

Foreword

The widespread technical evolution happening all around us is centered on a seemingly simple tool: the container. Something designed to be small and lightweight is having a tremendous impact on software development across all industries, all in such a short span of time.

But containerization is not new, and it wasn’t new in 2013 when Docker was first introduced. However, in the days before Docker, containerization was barely a blip on the radar of most software professionals; even the low-level concepts behind containers were generally understood only by those equipped with a deep knowledge of the Linux kernel, or by those working at some of the tech giants like Sun or Google. Windows developers and system administrators were generally left out in the cold. Nowadays, it’s hard to have a conversation about any software application without a mention of Docker. So how did we arrive here, and where are we going?

We no longer use Docker because it is novel, or for the sake of the technology itself, but rather because it accelerates development cycles, reduces infrastructure costs and overhead, helps onboard new developers more quickly, and even lowers the wall between development and operations teams. Windows users can now reap the benefits of Docker, too, thanks to the work from Microsoft, Docker, and countless open source software (OSS) contributors.

For all of its benefits, however, Docker isn’t always a simple tool. Truly understanding Docker is necessary in order to build ...