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Quick Start

Quick Start

Learn core Docker concepts and containerization patterns. This Quick Start teaches essential Docker skills.

🎯 What You’ll Learn

By the end of this tutorial, you’ll understand:

  • Images and containers
  • Dockerfiles and building images
  • Docker Compose for multi-container apps
  • Volumes and networking

📋 Prerequisites

📦 Dockerfile

Create Dockerfile:

FROM node:18-alpine
WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm install
COPY . .
EXPOSE 3000
CMD ["node", "server.js"]

Build:

docker build -t myapp .
docker run -p 3000:3000 myapp

🔧 Docker Compose

Create docker-compose.yml:

version: "3.8"
services:
  web:
    build: .
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    environment:
      - NODE_ENV=production
    depends_on:
      - db

  db:
    image: postgres:15
    environment:
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: secret
    volumes:
      - pgdata:/var/lib/postgresql/data

volumes:
  pgdata:

Run:

docker-compose up -d
docker-compose ps
docker-compose logs
docker-compose down

💾 Volumes 

docker volume create mydata
docker run -v mydata:/data alpine

🌐 Networking 

docker network create mynetwork
docker run --network mynetwork --name app1 nginx
docker run --network mynetwork --name app2 alpine ping app1

✅ Next Steps

You now understand Docker essentials!

  1. Try the examples: Build images and run containers
  2. Explore By Example: Docker By Example

🎯 Self-Assessment

After completing this Quick Start, you should be able to:

  • Write Dockerfiles
  • Build and run containers
  • Use Docker Compose
  • Work with volumes and networks
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Initial Setup