Docker and docker-compose

Docker is used to manage individual containers while docker-compose is used to manage multi-container applications. Docker Compose will configure and start multiple Docker containers on the same VM so each container does not have to be started separately.

Click the link below to watch an introductory video that you can follow along for this tutorial…

Introduction to Docker and Docker Compose

The video uses an Ubuntu 20.04 VM with 4GB of RAM and a 20GB HDD and we recommend using a similar VM while following along.

Docker and Docker Compose can be installed on many environments from laptops to server bare metal as well as VMs. Below are links to the official documentation that covers all the installation options.

Install Docker

CloudCIX recommends installing docker by following the official Docker documentation.

Install docker-compose

CloudCIX recommends installing docker-compose by following the official Docker documentation.

Docker Architecture

The image below shows how a VM can contain multiple Docker Containers. A VM has a single Guest Operating System on which Docker Engine runs. Multiple containers can then run on this single instance of Docker Engine.