Docker Series for Beginners - 02

Introduction

Welcome 👋 to this blog. If you want to learn about Docker and are a beginner, you came to the right place. This blog series will cover everything from the very beginning to the end. In this blog, we will learn about the relationship between Docker Container, Images & Dockerfile. If these words seem very overwhelming then don't worry at the end of this blog, you will be able to know everything with the help of recipes & food examples. Please stick with me till the end.

Docker Images

In simple terms, a Docker image is like a recipe that tells the computer what files, tools, and instructions it needs to run an app. But just as a recipe needs to be cooked to make food, a Docker image needs to be "run" to create something useful—a Docker container!

A more precise definition will look something like this:
A Docker image is a lightweight, standalone, and immutable package that includes all the necessary components (such as code, runtime, libraries, dependencies, and configurations) to run a specific application. It serves as a blueprint or template for creating Docker containers, which are the executable instances of the image.

Docker Images are generally immutable.

Docker Container

A Docker container is like a finished dish made from a recipe. While the recipe (Docker image) tells you how to make the food, the container is the food ready to eat.

In the same way, a Docker container is a working app created from the Docker image, and it can do everything it was designed to do!

A more precise definition will look something like this:
A Docker container is a lightweight, standalone, and executable software package that includes everything needed to run an application: the code, runtime, system tools, libraries, and settings. It is a runtime instance of a Docker image that runs in an isolated environment, ensuring the application behaves the same regardless of where it is deployed.

We have two ways to create the Docker Container,

• Docker Image
• Dockerfile

We have already learnt about the Docker Image. If in any case, our image is not present in the system then it'll try to fetch from the Dockerhub, like we have Github & Gitlab for codes same as we have Dockerhub for the docker containers.

Now time to learn about Dockerfile

Dockerfile

A Dockerfile is a text file that contains instructions for building a Docker image. It acts like a blueprint or script, telling Docker step-by-step how to create the image, including which base image to use, what software or dependencies to install, and how to configure the application.

If you don't understand Dockerfile, don't worry. The next blog is completely dedicated to Dockerfile, how to create a container with image as well as from the Dockerfile.

Conclusion

In this blog, we explored Docker containers, images, and Dockerfiles, emphasizing their roles in container creation. In the next blog, we will delve deeper into the technical aspects, including commands related to Docker, and how to create containers from both images and Dockerfiles. Stay tuned

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