We assume the reader to have some experience using Docker from the command line: throughout the book we’ll continuously pull images, run containers, define services, expose ports and create networks.

Also, the ideal reader possesses a basic understanding of networking protocols and is familiar with public and private cloud concepts like virtual machines and tenant networks.

To follow the examples in the text, you will need Docker and its tools. Chapter 1, Welcome to Docker Swarm, covers their installation.

Also, to get the most from the examples, you will need access to a a public (for example AWS, Azure or DigitalOcean) or private (for example OpenStack) cloud to instantiate Virtual Machines.