Learning about Docker

It would be a disservice to you, reader, for us to talk about containers and not mention Docker. Docker is not the only way to implement containers, but it certainly is a popular container software. Perhaps the most popular one. Docker has almost become synonymous with the term container. Docker, Inc., the maker of the product, follows a freemium model, offering both a free version and a premium version. Docker was released to the public in 2013 at the PyCon Conference and it was open sourced in March 2013.

As container software, Docker can package an application together with all its libraries, configuration files, and dependencies. Docker can be installed in Linux environments as well as on Windows. The virtual containers that Docker enables allow having applications in isolation without affecting any other processes running on the same physical machine.

Docker is often used by both developers and system administrators, making it an essential tool for...