Docker-Based Static Website Deployment: A Comprehensive Guide

Prerequisites

• AWS Account
• AWS CLI installed and configured (aws configure)
• Docker installed locally
• Git installed locally
• Basic knowledge of HTML/CSS (or static site generator like Hugo, Jekyll)

Introduction

In today's fast-paced digital landscape, delivering websites that are both performant and reliable is crucial. Static websites have emerged as a powerful solution for many use cases—blogs, documentation, marketing sites, and portfolios—offering lightning-fast load times, enhanced security, and simplified maintenance. However, deploying and managing these websites consistently across different environments can still present challenges.

Enter Docker, the containerization platform that has revolutionized how we build, ship, and run applications. By combining static websites with Docker containers, we create a deployment strategy that delivers unprecedented consistency, portability, and scalability. Whether you're deploying to your local machine, a development server, or a cloud production environment, Docker ensures your website behaves identically everywhere.

This comprehensive guide takes you from zero to production-ready deployment, covering everything from creating a simple static website to implementing advanced Docker configurations for real-world scenarios. You'll learn not just the "how" but also the "why" behind each decision, equipping you with knowledge that extends far beyond following a recipe.

Why Docker for Static Websites?

• Consistency Across Environments: No more "it works on my machine" problems. Your website runs identically from development to production.
• Simplified Deployment: Package your entire website—content, web server, and configuration—into a single, portable container.
• Version Control for Environments: Track changes to your website environment alongside your code changes.
• Resource Efficiency: Lightweight containers use minimal resources compared to traditional virtual machines.
• Scalability: Easily replicate containers to handle increased traffic or deploy across multiple regions.
• Security Isolation: Containers provide process and filesystem isolation from the host system.

What You'll Accomplish

By the end of this guide, you will:

• Create a production-ready static website with modern HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
• Build optimized Docker images using industry best practices
• Configure Nginx for maximum performance and security
• Set up both development and production environments
• Deploy your containerized website to cloud platforms
• Implement monitoring, logging, and maintenance strategies
• Apply security hardening techniques to your deployment

Whether you're a developer looking to streamline your deployment process, a DevOps engineer seeking consistent environments, or a business owner wanting reliable website hosting, this guide provides the practical knowledge you need. We'll start with the fundamentals and progressively build up to enterprise-grade deployment patterns, ensuring you have a solid foundation that can grow with your needs.

Let's begin by setting up our project and understanding the core components that make Docker-based static website deployment so effective.

Step One: Create a Directory

First, create a project directory to organize your HTML files and Docker configuration. You can use either your command line or IDE. For this example, we'll create a directory named "docker-static-site" and navigate into it:

mkdir docker-static-site
cd docker-static-site

Step Two: Acquiring the Nginx Base Image from Docker Registry

To containerize our static website, we'll leverage the Nginx web server, a lightweight, high-performance solution ideal for serving static content. The first step involves retrieving the official Nginx Docker image from the Docker Hub registry. This pre-configured image provides a standardized foundation, ensuring consistent behavior across all deployment environments. Execute the following command to pull the latest stable version of the Nginx image to your local machine:

docker pull nginx

To verify that we pulled the latest image:

docker images

Step Three: Building the Primary Web Document: index.html

The index.html file represents the architectural blueprint of your website. It defines the document's skeletal structure using HTML elements, establishes semantic organization for content accessibility, and sets up the necessary linkages to supporting resources like stylesheets and scripts. This foundational file will eventually be served by Nginx within our Docker container as the default landing page.

Step Four: Building a Custom Container Image via Dockerfile

Container images are constructed from declarative Dockerfiles that specify the complete runtime environment. Begin by creating a file named "Dockerfile" in your project's root directory—maintaining this exact filename is critical as Docker's build command automatically searches for it. This configuration orchestrates several operations: selecting an official base image, copying your website files into the container, exposing network ports, and defining the default process. The following example illustrates a production-ready Dockerfile optimized for serving static content:

With the Dockerfile defined, we can now execute the build process to create our custom container image. The docker build command compiles the instructions in your Dockerfile into a runnable image, while the -t flag tags it with a human-readable identifier for easier reference. Run the following command in your project directory:

docker build -t webserver .

Step Five: Deploy the Container as a Running Service

Transition from a static image to a live web service by instantiating a container. The run command orchestrates multiple operations: creating the container filesystem, configuring networking, and executing the default process defined in the image. Deploy with these flags to enable background operation and external access:

docker run -it -d -p 8080:80 webserver

To verify your container is running correctly, open a web browser and navigate to http://localhost:8080/

Step Six: Pushing the Container Image to AWS ECR

Before proceeding, ensure your AWS CLI is properly configured with aws configure. Then authenticate Docker with your ECR registry by running (replace placeholders with your region and account ID).

To store your Docker image in AWS Elastic Container Registry (ECR), execute the following commands:

aws ecr get-login-password --region us-east-1 \
| docker login --username AWS --password-stdin <ACCOUNT_ID>.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com

Step Seven: Tag and Push the Image

docker tag blog-image:latest <ACCOUNT_ID>.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/webserver:latest
docker push <ACCOUNT_ID>.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/webserver:latest

Step Eight: Conclusion

By following this guide, you have successfully containerized a static website using Docker and deployed it to AWS. You've transformed static files into a portable, scalable container that can run consistently across any environment—from local development to cloud production. This foundation enables reliable deployments, simplified maintenance, and scalable web hosting.

Chidubem Chinwuba is a dedicated Cloud/DevOps Engineer. He possesses a deep passion for technology and its transformative potential across industries. Overall, Chidubem is driven by his passion for technology and his aspiration to make a meaningful impact in the Cloud/DevOps domain. He is excited to continue his professional growth and contribute to projects that shape the future of technology.