Docker containers are the leading open-source Linux and Windows OS-level virtualization packages for creating and deploying software applications. Recently, the industry that relies on major container orchestration systems such as Kubernetes, Mesos, and Swarm has dramatically shifted to using Docker containers in public clouds such as Amazon Web Services and & Microsoft Azure, in on-premise data centers using bare-metal computers. Having the skill to deploy, secure, and manage Docker containers is a very desirable skill among local employers.

This six-week course teaches the concepts, operations, and programming techniques used by IT professionals and application developers to set up, configure, and deploy applications via Docker containers. This course is for current and aspiring IT operators, DevOps professionals and software developers—especially those in microservices development

After a brief overview of containers and the history of Unix/Linux isolation and resource quota techniques, we will address Docker components, such as the client (docker), the server (dockerd), containers (processes & union file system), and images, plus tools used to create and manage a Docker container, like Compose an image registry (Docker Hub).

We will then move on to the aspects of creating and deploying a complex software application using containers, networking, and persistent storage. We will get to create and manage OS name spaces, resource quotas—such as CPU, I/O, memory, and network bandwidth. Security, including scanning tools and hardening, will be covered and demonstrated. Advanced features, such as containers in public clouds—AWS EKS—as well running & invoking containers from a container Docker-in-Docker—and the orchestration of clusters of containers—Kubernetes—will be introduced.

Learning Outcomes
At the conclusion of the course, you should be able to

• Discuss the fundamentals of containers and Linux isolation
• Summarize the various components of Docker containers
• Demonstrate how to manage Docker containers via the command API
• Explain the basics of Docker networking, storage and security
• Identify the format of Docker compose manifests
• Create and manage a modestly complex Docker containers application

Note: For the 2nd assignment, students' laptops running Apple MacOS or MicroSoft Windows operating systems will need to install a Linux virtual machine image (Ubuntu 20.04 or 22.04) using the free open source VirtualBox application.

Skills Needed

Skills needed: A good understanding of Linux system and network administration.