Docker roadmap
Package applications into images, run them reliably, and compose multi-service environments.
At a glance
- Stages5
- Steps20
- Core steps13
- Optional or alternative7
- Linked courses2
How to use this roadmap
Work through the stages in order. Core steps are the ones everyone on this path needs; optional steps add depth when you have time, and alternatives are other ways to the same skill, so pick one. Steps with a course link to a free course from LearnerMap Academy.
Members of LearnerMap Academy can mark each step as learning, done or skipped, and see how far along the path they are.
Container concepts
What a container is
CoreSee how containers isolate processes and how they differ from virtual machines.
Installing Docker
CoreSet up Docker on your machine and check it works.
Images and registries
CoreUnderstand layers, tags and digests, and pull and push images.
Podman
AlternativeA daemonless engine with a largely compatible command line.
Building images
Writing a Dockerfile
CoreDescribe an image step by step, from base image to start command.
The build cache
CoreOrder instructions so small code changes rebuild in seconds.
Multi-stage builds
CoreCompile in one stage and ship only what runs in the final image.
Build secrets
OptionalUse credentials during a build without baking them into layers.
Multi-platform images
OptionalBuild one tag that runs on both x86 and Arm machines.
Running containers
The docker command line
CoreStart, stop, inspect and clean up containers.
Volumes and bind mounts
CoreKeep data beyond a container’s life, and share files with the host during development.
Networking
CoreConnect containers to each other and publish ports to the host.
Resource limits
OptionalCap memory and CPU so one container cannot starve the rest.
Logs
OptionalRead container output and choose where it is shipped.
Multi-container apps
Docker Compose
CoreDefine an app’s services, networks and volumes in one file.
Configuration and environment
CorePass settings through environment variables and keep secrets out of the file.
Health checks
OptionalTell Docker how to know a service is actually ready.
Production
Image security
CoreRun as a non-root user, keep images small and scan them for known vulnerabilities.
Docker in CI
CoreBuild, tag and push images from your pipeline with caching.
Orchestrators
AlternativeHand scheduling, scaling and recovery to a platform such as Kubernetes.
Learning with LearnerMap Academy
LearnerMap Academy runs its learning on LearnerMap, a free platform for organisations. Every course here is free for members of LearnerMap Academy: sign in with the email address LearnerMap Academy knows you by, or with a passkey, and the course opens in your own plan.
Your plan holds at most 3 courses in progress at a time, so you finish what you start before pulling in the next one. Lessons open in order, your progress is saved as you complete each one, and every course ends with a quiz; passing it adds a certificate to your record.
Not a member yet? Ask LearnerMap Academy to invite you. Lesson content, quizzes and everyone’s progress stay private to members; these public pages show only what LearnerMap Academy chose to publish.