What are Docker Containers?

Docker containers are lightweight, standalone packages that include everything needed to run a piece of software.

Basic Docker Commands

Here are some essential Docker commands you’ll use daily:

# Pull an image
docker pull nginx

# Run a container
docker run -d -p 80:80 nginx

# List running containers
docker ps

# Stop a container
docker stop container_id

Creating a Dockerfile

Here’s a simple Dockerfile for a Node.js application:

FROM node:16
WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm install
COPY . .
EXPOSE 3000
CMD ["npm", "start"]

Best Practices

  1. Use official base images
  2. Minimize layer count
  3. Multi-stage builds for smaller images
  4. Don’t run as root
  5. Use .dockerignore

Docker has revolutionized how we deploy applications. Stay tuned for advanced Docker topics!