Docker

Docker is a platform for building, packaging, and running applications inside lightweight, isolated containers. These containers bundle the application together with its dependencies, ensuring it runs consistently across different environments. Docker uses images as blueprints and containers as the runnable instances of those images, providing a reliable, portable way to deliver software.

Benefits of Docker

• Environment consistency: Eliminates “works on my machine” issues by packaging code and dependencies into a standard container.
• Portability: Containers run the same on laptops, servers, or cloud platforms because they bundle everything required to execute the app.
• Lightweight and efficient: Containers share the host OS kernel, making them faster and less resource-intensive than VMs.
• Scalability: Ideal for scaling microservices, cloud-native workloads, and distributed systems.
• Layered images and caching: Docker images are built in layers, enabling faster builds and efficient storage reuse.
• Ecosystem & tooling: Includes Docker Engine, Docker Compose for multi-container apps, and registries like Docker Hub.

Typical Use Cases

• Packaging and deploying microservices architectures
• Building consistent development, testing, and production environments
• Running CI/CD pipelines with reproducible build environments
• Migrating and scaling applications in cloud or hybrid infrastructures
• Containerizing applications for Kubernetes or other orchestration platforms
• Managing multi-service stacks using Docker Compose (e.g., web app + database)