2020-11-25

My notes from reading Docker Deep Dive

Docker Deep Dive

I started using Docker fairly early, in 2014, while working at Runnable in San Francisco. Runnable was basically an attempt to build a proprietary SAAS version of a container orchestration system, like Kubernetes, specifically focused on development environments. When compose, swarm and Kubernetes came into existence that essentially was the end of Runnable. The experience of building a product that pushed Docker to the limits of its capabilities gave all of us a lot of experience with Docker.

As with most everything I’ve learned in the world of software, I didn’t learn the subject by reading a manual cover to cover. Instead I just started playing with it. This approach generally works and is the least frustrating to the impatient but it comes with a small risk of having knowledge gaps. In an effort to find and fill any knowledge gaps around Docker I may have had, I decided to read Docker Deep Dive over a weekend.

Thankfully the only knowledge gaps I really had were around things I don’t really care about, like Windows containers and to an extend Docker Swarm since I prefer Kubernetes.

I tracked my reading and it took me ~7 hours to thoroughly read Docker Deep Dive. Overall the book is comprehensive, well organized and clear. If you’re looking for a resource to get up to speed with Docker quickly, Docker Deep Dive is a good book.