Skip to main content

Learning path

Docker & Containers learning path: everything to study, topic by topic

Comprehensive Docker and containerization assessment covering container fundamentals, Dockerfile best practices, image optimization, Docker Compose, networking, volumes, orchestration with Swarm, security hardening, and production deployment patterns.

Short answer

To learn Docker & Containers, work through 6 modules and 24 topics in the order they build on each other. It starts with Container Basics, then moves on to Images & Registry and Compose & Networking. Use the map as a checklist, or measure your level and study only what is missing.

6
modules
24
topics
45
min to assess

What you will study

Topics are grouped by module. Open one to see its objectives and key concepts.

1 · Container Basics4 topics
  • Container Fundamentals

    What containers are, how they differ from VMs, Linux kernel features (namespaces, cgroups, union filesystems), OCI standards, and the Docker architecture (daemon, client, containerd, runc)

    Objectives

    • Explain how containers differ from virtual machines
    • Describe the Linux kernel features that enable containerization

    Key concepts

    • containers vs VMs
    • Linux namespaces
    • cgroups
    • union filesystems
    • OCI specification
    • Docker daemon
    • containerd
    • runc
  • Docker CLI

    Essential Docker commands: run, exec, ps, logs, inspect, cp, top, stats, port mapping, environment variables, and interactive mode

    Objectives

    • Run and manage containers using Docker CLI
    • Pass configuration via ports and environment variables

    Key concepts

    • docker run
    • docker exec
    • docker ps
    • docker logs
    • docker inspect
    • port mapping (-p)
    • environment variables (-e)
    • interactive mode (-it)
  • Container Lifecycle

    Container states (created, running, paused, stopped, removed), start/stop/restart, auto-restart policies, resource limits (memory, CPU), and cleanup strategies

    Objectives

    • Manage container lifecycle from creation to removal
    • Apply resource limits and restart policies

    Key concepts

    • container states
    • docker start/stop/restart
    • restart policies
    • memory limits
    • CPU limits
    • docker system prune
    • detached mode (-d)
    • docker rm/rmi
  • Dockerfile Basics

    FROM, RUN, COPY, ADD, CMD, ENTRYPOINT, WORKDIR, EXPOSE, ENV, ARG instructions, build context, .dockerignore, and basic image building

    Objectives

    • Write a Dockerfile to build a custom image
    • Understand the difference between CMD and ENTRYPOINT

    Key concepts

    • FROM instruction
    • RUN instruction
    • COPY vs ADD
    • CMD vs ENTRYPOINT
    • WORKDIR
    • EXPOSE
    • ENV and ARG
    • .dockerignore
2 · Images & Registry4 topics
  • Image Layers

    How Docker images are built in layers, layer caching, cache invalidation, docker history, layer squashing, and understanding the union filesystem

    Objectives

    • Explain how Docker builds and caches image layers
    • Optimize Dockerfile instruction ordering for cache efficiency

    Key concepts

    • image layers
    • layer caching
    • cache invalidation
    • docker history
    • union filesystem
    • copy-on-write
    • layer ordering
    • layer squashing
  • Multi-Stage Builds

    Multi-stage Dockerfile patterns, reducing image size, separating build and runtime dependencies, named stages, copying artifacts between stages, and build target selection

    Objectives

    • Design multi-stage Dockerfiles to minimize image size
    • Separate build-time and runtime dependencies effectively

    Key concepts

    • multi-stage FROM
    • named stages (AS)
    • COPY --from
    • build vs runtime deps
    • image size reduction
    • target stage (--target)
    • builder pattern
    • distroless images
  • Registry Management

    Docker Hub, private registries, image tagging strategies, pushing and pulling images, registry authentication, image signing, and content trust

    Objectives

    • Manage images across registries with proper tagging
    • Configure private registries and authentication

    Key concepts

    • Docker Hub
    • private registry
    • image tagging
    • docker push/pull
    • registry authentication
    • Docker Content Trust
    • image signing
    • tag immutability
  • Image Optimization

    Minimizing image size, choosing base images (alpine, slim, distroless), reducing layers, apt-get best practices, .dockerignore patterns, and build arguments

    Objectives

    • Select optimal base images for different use cases
    • Apply techniques to reduce final image size

    Key concepts

    • alpine base images
    • slim variants
    • distroless images
    • layer consolidation
    • apt-get cleanup
    • .dockerignore patterns
    • build-arg optimization
    • scratch image
3 · Compose & Networking4 topics
  • Compose Basics

    docker-compose.yml structure, services, build vs image, ports, volumes, environment, depends_on, docker compose up/down/build, and compose project naming

    Objectives

    • Define multi-container applications with Docker Compose
    • Manage service dependencies and configuration

    Key concepts

    • compose file structure
    • services definition
    • build vs image
    • ports mapping
    • volumes in compose
    • environment variables
    • depends_on
    • compose CLI (up/down/build)
  • Advanced Compose

    Compose profiles, extends, merge and override files, healthchecks in compose, deploy section, resource limits, secrets, configs, and watch mode

    Objectives

    • Configure advanced Compose features for complex applications
    • Use profiles and overrides for environment-specific configurations

    Key concepts

    • compose profiles
    • extends keyword
    • override files
    • healthcheck config
    • deploy section
    • resource limits
    • secrets in compose
    • compose watch
  • Networking Basics

    Docker networking model, bridge network, host network, none network, container DNS, port publishing, container-to-container communication, and network isolation

    Objectives

    • Explain Docker's default networking model
    • Configure containers to communicate across networks

    Key concepts

    • bridge network
    • host network
    • none network
    • container DNS
    • port publishing
    • container linking
    • network isolation
    • docker network create
  • Advanced Networking

    Overlay networks, macvlan, ipvlan, custom subnets, network plugins, service discovery, load balancing, and cross-host networking

    Objectives

    • Design multi-host networking solutions with overlay networks
    • Configure advanced network topologies for production workloads

    Key concepts

    • overlay network
    • macvlan network
    • ipvlan network
    • custom subnets
    • network plugins
    • service discovery
    • internal networks
    • network scoping
4 · Storage & Volumes4 topics
  • Volumes Basics

    Named volumes, anonymous volumes, volume lifecycle, docker volume create/inspect/rm, volume mounts in docker run, and data persistence across container restarts

    Objectives

    • Create and manage Docker volumes for persistent storage
    • Understand the difference between named and anonymous volumes

    Key concepts

    • named volumes
    • anonymous volumes
    • docker volume create
    • docker volume inspect
    • volume lifecycle
    • data persistence
    • -v and --mount syntax
    • volume drivers
  • Bind Mounts

    Bind mounts vs volumes, host path mapping, read-only mounts, development workflows with bind mounts, tmpfs mounts, and mount propagation

    Objectives

    • Use bind mounts effectively for development workflows
    • Compare bind mounts, volumes, and tmpfs for different use cases

    Key concepts

    • bind mounts
    • host path mapping
    • read-only mounts (:ro)
    • development workflows
    • tmpfs mounts
    • mount propagation
    • bind vs volume tradeoffs
    • file synchronization
  • Storage Drivers

    Storage driver architecture, overlay2, btrfs, zfs, devicemapper, copy-on-write strategies, performance implications, and driver selection

    Objectives

    • Explain how storage drivers implement copy-on-write for containers
    • Select appropriate storage drivers based on workload requirements

    Key concepts

    • overlay2 driver
    • storage driver architecture
    • copy-on-write
    • btrfs driver
    • zfs driver
    • devicemapper
    • performance implications
    • driver selection criteria
  • Data Management

    Backup and restore strategies, volume migration, data containers, shared storage across hosts, volume plugins (NFS, cloud), and stateful application patterns

    Objectives

    • Design backup and restore strategies for containerized data
    • Implement shared storage solutions for multi-host deployments

    Key concepts

    • volume backup strategies
    • volume restore
    • data migration
    • shared storage
    • NFS volumes
    • cloud volume plugins
    • stateful patterns
    • data lifecycle management
5 · Orchestration4 topics
  • Swarm Basics

    Docker Swarm mode, initializing a swarm, manager and worker nodes, services vs containers, docker service create, replicas, and Raft consensus

    Objectives

    • Initialize and manage a Docker Swarm cluster
    • Understand the role of manager and worker nodes

    Key concepts

    • swarm init
    • manager nodes
    • worker nodes
    • docker service create
    • replicas
    • Raft consensus
    • service vs container
    • swarm tokens
  • Service Scaling

    Scaling services up and down, global vs replicated services, rolling updates, rollback strategies, placement constraints, and resource reservations

    Objectives

    • Scale services with appropriate update and rollback strategies
    • Configure placement constraints and resource reservations

    Key concepts

    • docker service scale
    • global services
    • replicated services
    • rolling updates
    • rollback strategy
    • placement constraints
    • resource reservations
    • update parallelism
  • Health Checks

    HEALTHCHECK instruction, health check configuration (interval, timeout, retries), health status in orchestration, custom health check scripts, and dependency readiness

    Objectives

    • Implement effective health checks for containerized services
    • Configure health check parameters for production reliability

    Key concepts

    • HEALTHCHECK instruction
    • health check interval
    • timeout and retries
    • healthy/unhealthy status
    • custom health scripts
    • dependency readiness
    • startup period
    • health-based routing
  • Logging & Monitoring

    Docker logging drivers (json-file, syslog, fluentd), log rotation, docker stats, container metrics, monitoring stacks (Prometheus, cAdvisor), and centralized logging

    Objectives

    • Configure appropriate logging drivers for production environments
    • Design monitoring strategies for containerized applications

    Key concepts

    • logging drivers
    • json-file driver
    • syslog/fluentd drivers
    • log rotation
    • docker stats
    • cAdvisor
    • Prometheus metrics
    • centralized logging
6 · Security & Production4 topics
  • Security Fundamentals

    Running containers as non-root, USER instruction, read-only filesystems, dropping capabilities, seccomp profiles, AppArmor, and security best practices

    Objectives

    • Apply the principle of least privilege to Docker containers
    • Configure kernel security features for container hardening

    Key concepts

    • non-root containers
    • USER instruction
    • read-only filesystem
    • Linux capabilities
    • cap-drop/cap-add
    • seccomp profiles
    • AppArmor profiles
    • no-new-privileges
  • Image Scanning

    Vulnerability scanning tools (Trivy, Snyk, Docker Scout), CVE databases, scanning in CI/CD, base image selection, and vulnerability remediation strategies

    Objectives

    • Integrate image scanning into the development workflow
    • Evaluate and remediate container vulnerabilities

    Key concepts

    • Trivy scanner
    • Docker Scout
    • Snyk container
    • CVE databases
    • CI/CD scanning
    • base image selection
    • vulnerability remediation
    • SBOM generation
  • Runtime Security

    Container isolation enforcement, runtime threat detection, Falco, network policies, secrets management, rootless Docker, and container escape prevention

    Objectives

    • Implement runtime security controls to detect and prevent threats
    • Design defense-in-depth strategies for containerized workloads

    Key concepts

    • runtime threat detection
    • Falco
    • network policies
    • secrets management
    • rootless Docker
    • container escape prevention
    • audit logging
    • namespace isolation
  • Production Patterns

    Production-ready container patterns: init containers, sidecar pattern, ambassador pattern, graceful shutdown, signal handling, CI/CD pipelines, blue-green deployments, and canary releases

    Objectives

    • Design production container architectures using established patterns
    • Implement graceful shutdown and zero-downtime deployment strategies

    Key concepts

    • init containers
    • sidecar pattern
    • ambassador pattern
    • graceful shutdown
    • signal handling (SIGTERM)
    • CI/CD pipelines
    • blue-green deployments
    • canary releases

Levels: Junior, Mid, Senior, and Expert

Explain it in your own words

Graded by AI · no account · 1 question

No options to guess from: you write, the AI grades against the topic's rubric and tells you what level your answer reads at.

0 / 600

Already studying Docker & Containers?

The assessment measures topic by topic, and your plan skips what you already know.

Measure my level

Open to read. An account is only needed to be measured.

Frequently asked questions

Where should I start studying Docker & Containers?

Start with Container Basics: Container Fundamentals, Docker CLI, and Container Lifecycle. The map orders topics by what they depend on, so each one prepares the next.

How long does a full Docker & Containers assessment take?

A full assessment of this path takes about 45 minutes. Study time depends on where you start; a diagnostic shows which topics you can skip.

Do I need an account to use this page?

No. The map, objectives and key concepts are open. You only need an account to be measured, get your gap by topic and receive a plan.