Docker is undeniably the most popular technology these days in the Information Technology (IT) world. Mainly, there are two principal trends in the Docker landscape. First, the open source Docker platform is being continuously equipped with more correct and relevant features and functionalities in order to make it the most powerful and pioneering IT platform, not only for software developers but also for on-premise and off-premise IT operational teams. The second trend is the unprecedented adoption of the Docker-inspired containerization technology by various IT service and solution providers across the Globe in order to bring forth a growing array of premium offerings to their consumers and clients. The enhanced simplicity in the development of fresh software applications, the automated and accelerated deployment of Docker containers, and the extreme maneuverability of Docker containers are being widely touted as the key differentiators of this unique paradigm's unprecedented success.
In this chapter, we would like to shed more light on Docker, and show why it is being touted as the latest best thing for the impending digital idea and insightful economy. We would like to introduce you to the practical side of Docker; in this chapter, we will cover the following topics:
- The key drivers for Dockerization
- Differentiating between containerization and virtualization
- Installing the Docker Engine
- Understanding the Docker setup
- Downloading the first image
- Running the first container
- Troubleshooting Docker containers