I've used Docker casually at work, but I'd like to build a stronger understanding of how it works and learn recommended practices. I'm mainly looking for structured online courses with hands-on labs, exercises, and enough detail to take useful notes for future reference. Paid resources are fine as long as they're reasonably priced. I already own a couple of good Docker books, so I'm especially interested in online training.
3 Answers
KodeKloud has a Docker course for beginners, and the Docker course itself is free. I’ve used their other technical courses and found them well organized, with a good mix of explanations and practical exercises.
Set up a small practice environment and learn by building things. Start with a simple application, write a Dockerfile, choose an appropriate base image, and get it running. Then try reducing the image size, adding services such as PostgreSQL or Redis, and managing everything with Docker Compose. That hands-on process tends to create the understanding that tutorials alone can’t provide.
A small home lab can give you a controlled place to experiment without affecting your work containers. It could be as simple as a spare mini PC running Ubuntu Server and Docker. Combine that with focused video lessons or documentation, and use an AI assistant to explain concepts you don’t understand while you work through examples.
That sounds useful for practice, but I’m specifically looking for something structured that also explains the theory and best practices rather than leaving me to discover everything by trial and error.