Participants will learn the basic concepts of containerization. We’ll start by comparing  the similarities, then significant differences between containers and VMs.

1. First, we will start by “jumping” in and out of containers and experience the statefulness of each container.
2. Next, we will introduce the image concept, which is how a whole software stack can be packaged as a single piece.
3. Once we can create interactive images, we will study the Dockerfile syntax, which is the industry standard for reproducible images.
4. After we cover the basics, we will make containers (like running a web app) available to the outside world or to other containers, by using exposed ports. Stateful containers, like a relational DB, need persistent storage, which is provided by docker volumes. We will learn about how to manage volumes.

Docker provides different methods to give network access to containers. We will learn the basic architecture and the provided built-in network-drivers, such ashost, bridge, and overlay.

With the rise of micro-services architecture, you will need to manage many containers. A high volume of containers will present many challenges. How can services find each other? How can you run them in a reliable manner with automatic failover?

These are the questions we aim to answer.