Preparing the Docker image

Container-based virtualization technology is not something new. Long before Docker, there were technologies such as OpenVZ, which applied the same fundamental concepts that are applied by Docker as well. Even today, we have alternatives such as Linux Containers (LXC), which provides a robust container-based solution. What sets Docker apart is how easy and intuitive it makes handling containerized applications. Docker takes portability to another level, simplifying and making containers a viable technology for larger audiences.

In the past, other container platforms were not as straightforward to use as Docker is today. Containers were a topic more related to system administrators than to software developers. Today, the scenario is different because of the simple yet powerful container-based solution we have with Docker. Because of its simplicity, Docker rapidly became popular among developers, who started to incorporate it into their projects.

As I...