Docker

In the previous tutorial, we used Docker Compose to run an app with a database. We briefly mentioned volumes and networking. Now let’s understand them properly. These two topics answer two important questions: Volumes: How do I keep data when a container is removed? Networking: How do containers talk to each other? Why Containers Lose Data Containers are designed to be temporary. You can create them, destroy them, and replace them. This is a feature, not a bug — it makes containers predictable and easy to deploy. ...

In the previous tutorial, we learned how to build a Docker image for a single application. But most real applications need more than one service. A web app might need a database. An API might need a cache. A backend might need a message queue. Running each service with docker run and connecting them manually is tedious. Docker Compose solves this. It lets you define all your services in one file and start everything with a single command. ...

In the previous tutorial, we ran containers from pre-built images like ubuntu and nginx. That is useful, but in real projects you need to package your own application into an image. That is what a Dockerfile does. A Dockerfile is a text file with instructions that tell Docker how to build an image. Think of it as a recipe — each line is a step. Your First Dockerfile Let’s create a simple Node.js application and package it with Docker. ...

You write an app. It works on your computer. You send it to a friend. It does not work on their computer. They have a different operating system, a different version of Python, or missing libraries. This is the classic “it works on my machine” problem. Docker solves it. What Is Docker? Docker is a tool that packages your application and everything it needs into a container. A container includes your code, libraries, system tools, and settings. It runs the same way everywhere — on your laptop, your colleague’s laptop, or a server in the cloud. ...

Bookmark this page. Use Ctrl+F (or Cmd+F on Mac) to find what you need. This cheat sheet covers Docker CLI commands, Dockerfile instructions, Docker Compose, volumes, networking, and production tips. Last updated: March 2026 How Docker Works ┌──────────────┐ docker build ┌──────────┐ docker run ┌────────────┐ │ Dockerfile │ ───────────────► │ Image │ ─────────────► │ Container │ │ (recipe) │ │ (template)│ │ (running) │ └──────────────┘ └──────────┘ └────────────┘ │ docker push │ ┌────▼───────┐ │ Registry │ │ (Docker Hub)│ └────────────┘ Container Commands Command Description docker run <image> Create and start a container docker run -d <image> Run in background (detached) docker run -it <image> bash Run interactively with shell (sh for Alpine) docker run -p 8080:80 <image> Map host port 8080 to container port 80 docker run --name myapp <image> Run with a custom name docker run --rm <image> Automatically remove container when it stops docker run -e KEY=value <image> Set environment variable docker run -v /host:/container <image> Mount a volume docker ps List running containers docker ps -a List all containers (including stopped) docker stop <container> Stop a running container docker start <container> Start a stopped container docker restart <container> Restart a container docker rm <container> Remove a stopped container docker rm -f <container> Force remove (even if running) docker exec -it <container> bash Open a shell inside a running container docker logs <container> View container logs docker logs -f <container> Follow logs in real-time docker inspect <container> Show detailed container info (JSON) docker stats Live resource usage for all containers docker cp <container>:/path ./local Copy file from container to host docker cp ./local <container>:/path Copy file from host to container docker container prune Remove all stopped containers docker kill <container> Force stop a container (SIGKILL) Image Commands Command Description docker images List all local images docker pull <image> Download an image from registry docker push <image> Upload an image to registry docker build -t myapp . Build image from Dockerfile in current dir docker build -t myapp:v1 . Build with a tag/version docker tag <image> <new-tag> Add a tag to an image docker rmi <image> Remove an image docker image prune Remove unused (dangling) images docker system prune -a Remove all unused images, containers, networks (not volumes) docker system prune -a --volumes Remove everything including volumes docker history <image> Show image layers and sizes docker login Log in to Docker Hub (required before push) docker logout Log out from registry docker save -o image.tar <image> Export image to tar file docker load -i image.tar Import image from tar file Dockerfile Reference # Base image FROM node:20-alpine # Set working directory WORKDIR /app # Copy dependency files first (for caching) COPY package.json package-lock.json ./ # Install dependencies RUN npm ci --production # Copy application code COPY . . # Expose a port (documentation only) EXPOSE 3000 # Default command when container starts CMD ["node", "server.js"] Dockerfile Instructions Instruction Description FROM <image> Base image (required, must be first) WORKDIR /app Set working directory for subsequent commands COPY <src> <dest> Copy files from host to image ADD <src> <dest> Like COPY but can extract tar and fetch URLs RUN <command> Execute command during build (creates a layer) ENV KEY=value Set environment variable ARG KEY=value Build-time variable (not available at runtime) EXPOSE <port> Document which port the app listens on CMD ["executable", "arg"] Default command (can be overridden) ENTRYPOINT ["executable"] Fixed command (CMD becomes arguments) VOLUME /data Create a mount point for persistent data USER <username> Switch to non-root user `HEALTHCHECK CMD curl -f http://localhost/ CMD vs ENTRYPOINT # CMD — default command, can be overridden CMD ["python", "app.py"] # docker run myapp → runs python app.py # docker run myapp bash → runs bash (overrides CMD) # ENTRYPOINT — fixed command, CMD becomes arguments ENTRYPOINT ["python"] CMD ["app.py"] # docker run myapp → runs python app.py # docker run myapp test.py → runs python test.py Multi-Stage Build # Stage 1: Build FROM node:20-alpine AS builder WORKDIR /app COPY package.json ./ RUN npm ci COPY . . RUN npm run build # Stage 2: Production (smaller image) FROM nginx:alpine COPY --from=builder /app/dist /usr/share/nginx/html EXPOSE 80 CMD ["nginx", "-g", "daemon off;"] Multi-stage builds produce smaller images — the final image only contains the production output, not the build tools. ...