Docker for beginners
No prior Docker needed. It starts with what a container is and sets up a disposable lab VM, then takes one small app through running, building, configuring, connecting and persisting, ending with Compose. Fourteen lessons across four sections, every lab command run on Docker Engine 29 in the lab VM, each lesson ending with a short quiz and the course with a final exam.
01What Docker is, and whyThe problem containers solve, what Docker ships, and the lab VM for this track.10 min02Containers vs virtual machinesOne shared kernel versus one kernel per guest, and what that costs.9 min03Installing Docker Engine and running your first containerDocker Engine from Docker's apt repository, the docker group, and a first run.13 min
01Images, containers and the core commandsPull, run, list, stop and remove, and what each one changes.13 min02docker run in depthNames, detached runs, ports, environment, cleanup and restart policies.11 min03Inspect, logs and execRead a container's output, run commands inside it and pull facts from its config, even with no shell.13 min04Environment variables and configuration-e, --env-file, the parsing rules Docker applies, and why env vars are not secret.10 min
01Writing a DockerfileBuild a small Node.js image instruction by instruction, with a lockfile and .dockerignore.14 min02Layers and the build cacheWhy order matters, what busts the cache, what image sizes mean and where layers live.12 min03CMD, ENTRYPOINT and PID 1What runs when a container starts, which process gets the stop signal, and when to use --init.13 min
01Volumes and bind mountsKeep data when containers go away, and know which mount to use.12 min02Container networking basicsPublished ports, user-defined networks and name resolution.12 min03Multi-container apps with ComposeOne compose.yaml for an app, its database and their health checks.20 min04Registries, tags and sharing imagesTag, push and pull, log in safely, and run a local registry.22 min
Progress is saved in this browser only — no account required.
Quick reference
Docker CLI cheat sheetCheat sheetDocker vs PodmanComparisonDocker interview questionsInterview guide
Final exam
Test yourself on everything
38 questions drawn from all 4 sections — every answer explained as you pick.