Course Organization

In the broader scheme of things, the course is divided into two sections:

1. The big picture stuff
2. The technical stuff

The big picture stuff

This section covers the following:

• What is Docker?
• Why do we have containers?
• What do things like “cloud-native” and “microservices” mean?

It’s the kind of stuff that you need to know if you want a good rounded knowledge of Docker and containers.

The technical stuff

This section is where you’ll find everything you need to start working with Docker. It gets into the detail of images, containers, and the increasingly important topic of orchestration.

Breakdown of chapters

Each chapter covers theory and includes plenty of commands and examples. Most of the chapters in the technical stuff section are divided into three parts:

• The TLDR: It provides you two or three paragraphs that you can use to explain the topic at the coffee machine. They’re also a great way to remind yourself what something is about.

• The Deep Dive: It explains how things work and gives examples.

• The Commands: It lists all the relevant commands in an easy-to-read list with brief reminders of what each one does.

I think you’ll love that format.

Playgrounds

For most of the lessons, we will provide you with playgrounds, like the one given below, at the end of the lesson to help you implement what you have learned so far.

You don’t need to configure anything in the playground. You will be all set to go. Any additional instructions needed for a playground will be provided beforehand.

Editions of the course

Docker and the cloud-native ecosystem is developing at a warp speed. As a result, I’m committed to updating the course every year! If that sounds excessive, welcome to the new normal.

We no longer live in a world where a 1-year-old course on technology, like Docker, is valuable. That makes my life as an author really hard, but I’m not going to argue with the truth.

Don’t worry though. Your investment in this course is safe.